President Izchak Herzog will be received by US President Joe Biden in Washington today during a major day of protests in Israel. The meeting highlights the currently tense relationship between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been waiting for his inaugural visit to the White House for months.
Yesterday, the US government vaguely announced that the two would meet in the US in the fall. At the same time, she clearly expressed her concerns about the planned restructuring of the Israeli judiciary and some members of Netanyahu’s cabinet.
Judicial reform brings thousands to the streets again
Netanyahu’s coalition has been planning for months to specifically weaken the country’s independent judiciary. She accuses her of having too much influence on political decisions. In the coming week, an important part of the reform to restrict the Supreme Court is to be passed in second and third readings. Critics see the separation of powers and thus democracy in danger. Some even warn against the creeping introduction of a dictatorship.
Another day of protests has now begun. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the coastal city of Tel Aviv in the morning, according to the media and organizers, demonstrators blocked a highway in the north of the country. According to the organizers, further rallies and disruptive actions are to take place throughout the country on “Day of Resistance”. The organizers are also appealing to the US to use its influence and prevent the government from its controversial plans. Ben Caspit of the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv described Herzog’s visit to the US as a “rescue mission”. The US has traditionally been Israel’s closest ally, providing the country with billions of dollars in defense every year.
Biden also wants to talk about democratic values
At the meeting with Herzog, Biden not only wanted to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security, the US government said. She confirmed that the highly controversial reform plans should also be discussed.
Biden wanted to speak about the importance of shared democratic values and how freedom, prosperity and security could be promoted for both Palestinians and Israelis. Herzog said he would also speak about “internal challenges” in the US. For months he has been trying to find a compromise between the government and the opposition – so far without success. Unlike in the United States, the president in Israel primarily has a representative function.
The protest movement is one of the largest in the history of Israel, a country of around 10 million people, and it spans broad sections of society. Resistance to the government is also growing within the Israeli military. Several thousand reservists have already threatened not to return to service if part of the judicial reform is passed. A large part of the Israeli military consists of reservists. Netanyahu described the possible denial of service as “unlawful” and emphasized that “the security of all Israeli citizens” is at risk.
Relations between Israel and the USA under scrutiny
In Israel, a recent comment in the New York Times by author Thomas L. Friedman entitled “The United States’ reassessment of the Netanyahu government has begun” caused a stir. Friedman warns that the US government is increasingly concerned about Netanyahu’s policies and is reconsidering its previous relationship with the country. Israeli observers expressed similar concerns. A sign of this was also seen in the failure to invite Netanyahu to the White House.
Biden and Netanyahu agreed to meet in the fall during a phone call yesterday, which some observers interpreted as a sign of relaxation. However, while Netanyahu’s office discussed the invitation to the United States after what was described as “long and heartfelt” talks, the White House only confirmed when journalists asked that there would “probably” be a meeting before the end of the year.
The communications director of the government’s National Security Council, John Kirby, also warned against overestimating the phone call and the planned meeting: Concerns about the planned restructuring of the judiciary and “extremist actions” by some cabinet members have not diminished. According to the White House, Biden also let Netanyahu know in the conversation that he was concerned about the expansion of the settlements.
In a recent interview with CNN, Biden openly criticized Netanyahu’s cabinet and called some members extreme. In particular, those who say: “We can settle where we want” are problematic. Referring to Netanyahu, whom he nicknamed, Biden added: “I hope that Bibi will continue to move towards moderation and change.”
Israel’s government is pushing ahead with building settlements
Netanyahu’s coalition is the most right-wing in Israel’s history. Several ministers represent right-wing extremist views and want to massively push ahead with the controversial construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to the human rights organization Peace Now, since government came into power, more new Israeli housing units have been approved in the occupied Palestinian territories than at any time since records began in 2012.
Biden is known as an opponent of the Israeli settlement policy, which the government of his predecessor Donald Trump supported. When Netanyahu took office, he warned that the United States would continue to “support the two-state solution and oppose policies that endanger its feasibility or run counter to our common interests and values.”
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. Around 600,000 Israelis live there today in more than 200 settlements. The Palestinians claim the territories as part of their own state.
