In response to the question by New York Times journalist Tom Friedman regarding the Israeli government’s proposed legislation on the judicial system, US President Biden said that "the genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances, on an independent judiciary. Building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that the people buy into them so they can be sustained." His short and focused response joins a series of American statements, led by the remarks of Secretary of State Blinken during his recent visit to Israel, which express the deep concern of the US administration regarding the latest moves.
Biden, who is undisputedly a great friend of Israel and has been careful in the past not to interfere in its internal affairs, was called on to signal unequivocally that the United States will find it difficult to ignore the measures and their negative impact on the continued valuing of Israel's democratic character. In his response, Biden does not address the question of whether the judicial system should or should not be reformed, but reminds (both parties in the Israeli political system) that changes should be consensual and should maintain the independence of the courts. The American fear of deterioration vis-à-vis the Palestinians and the repeated warnings to Israel (and the Palestinians) to avoid unilateral measures that could ignite the area, should be added to this criticism.
President Biden's words should be taken with the requisite seriousness: only recently in his State of the Union address, the US President once again boasted the administration adheres to a liberal agenda as a central goal and insists on promoting the strengthening of democracies. Israel's asset to the United States is derived first of all from the administration's ability to present it as the only democracy in the Middle East. The warnings of senior administration officials leave no doubt that Israel cannot hide under the explanation that it is a "young and vibrant democracy." Rather, it must take into account that an American assessment (in the administration and Congress) that the "shared values" have been damaged can have a direct effect on the relations between the two countries – particularly in this sensitive period, when the security challenges, especially on the part of Iran, which continues to advance its nuclear program with determination, require a tightening of coordination between the two countries.
In response to the question by New York Times journalist Tom Friedman regarding the Israeli government’s proposed legislation on the judicial system, US President Biden said that "the genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy is that they are both built on strong institutions, on checks and balances, on an independent judiciary. Building consensus for fundamental changes is really important to ensure that the people buy into them so they can be sustained." His short and focused response joins a series of American statements, led by the remarks of Secretary of State Blinken during his recent visit to Israel, which express the deep concern of the US administration regarding the latest moves.
Biden, who is undisputedly a great friend of Israel and has been careful in the past not to interfere in its internal affairs, was called on to signal unequivocally that the United States will find it difficult to ignore the measures and their negative impact on the continued valuing of Israel's democratic character. In his response, Biden does not address the question of whether the judicial system should or should not be reformed, but reminds (both parties in the Israeli political system) that changes should be consensual and should maintain the independence of the courts. The American fear of deterioration vis-à-vis the Palestinians and the repeated warnings to Israel (and the Palestinians) to avoid unilateral measures that could ignite the area, should be added to this criticism.
President Biden's words should be taken with the requisite seriousness: only recently in his State of the Union address, the US President once again boasted the administration adheres to a liberal agenda as a central goal and insists on promoting the strengthening of democracies. Israel's asset to the United States is derived first of all from the administration's ability to present it as the only democracy in the Middle East. The warnings of senior administration officials leave no doubt that Israel cannot hide under the explanation that it is a "young and vibrant democracy." Rather, it must take into account that an American assessment (in the administration and Congress) that the "shared values" have been damaged can have a direct effect on the relations between the two countries – particularly in this sensitive period, when the security challenges, especially on the part of Iran, which continues to advance its nuclear program with determination, require a tightening of coordination between the two countries.