Israel rejects ‘pressure’ from White House as Netanyahu and Biden trade barbs

Biden and Kirby: Israel’s Closest Allies, Their Courts, Their Judgments, Their Futures and Their Implications

Biden told reporters a day later that he was “very concerned” about the judicial proposal. He said there was no plans to invite Netanyahu to the White House in the near term.

Later Wednesday, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby emphasized the long, friendly relations between the two countries and Biden and Netanyahu, who he said have known each other for 40 years. He said the U.S. was pleased with Netanyahu’s pledges to negotiate with opponents to his court proposals.

Yair Lapid, Israel’s opposition leader and former premier, said Wednesday that Netanyahu’s efforts have “ruined” the relationship. “For decades Israel was the USA’s closest ally. The most extreme government in the history of the country ruined it in three months.

The Netanyahu government is attempting to weaken the power of the country’s courts, angering Jews in the US and around the world.

The debate over Netanyahu’s proposals is likely to ratchet up again before then; while he bought himself time on Monday, he has remained determined to see through an overhaul of the judiciary that critics say diminishes Israel’s democracy.

Israel and the United States in the Early Stage of the November 2016 Israel-Israel Correspondence: Netanyahu’s Speech at the Summit for Democracy in the Heart of the Middle East

It was also announced on Tuesday that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will visit Jerusalem next month, a trip that is certain to inject the likely Republican presidential contender into Israel’s national tumult and its increasingly fraught relationship with the US.

At a time when relations between Jerusalem and Washington are strained, Florida serves as a bridge between the American and Israeli people, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu told his staff that the legislation will be paused until after Passover, saying that it was in the middle of an important debate.

“You are going to Passover, on the eve of Seder you will sit with the families. You can fight a little, not too much, you will come to an agreement. He said that the goal is to reach agreements among both of us.

JERUSALEM — Israel accused the United States of inappropriately intervening in its internal affairs as the fallout continues from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to increase his far-right coalition’s say in how judges are chosen.

The White House and Netanyahu had a series of exchanges that showed they were not on the same page when it came to the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Israel’s use of force in tracking down terrorists.

Netanyahu spoke in a remote address to the Summit for Democracy and said the alliance between the world’s greatest democracy and a strong, proud and independent democracy, Israel, in the heart of the Middle East is unchanged.

Netanyahu’s government is working with opposition politicians to try and reach a consensus before the parliament returns to session in April.