If the internal crisis has waned since Binyamin Netanyahu’s decision to freeze judicial reform, a new crisis has erupted. This time, it is with the United States, the first ally of the Jewish state for decades.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden made it clear that he hoped the Israeli government would “renounce” this reform. “Like many strong supporters of Israel, I am very worried. (The Israelis) cannot continue on this path […] They know my position. They know America’s position. They know the position of American Jews. Joe Biden also clarified that there was no question of inviting the Israeli Prime Minister to Washington “in the short term”.
Since early January, American officials and many American Jews have stepped up to alert the Israeli government to the dangers of this reform. Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, an American Jew very close to Netanyahu for years, notably put pressure.
In a new text, published Monday on the site of the “Jerusalem Post”, he explains that he is opposed to the initial draft and its amended version, which “cross two red lines: they allow the Knesset, with a simple majority, overturn Supreme Court rulings guaranteeing basic minority rights, freedom of expression and due process; and they allow a majority of politicians, rather than professionals, to select future judges. »
White House concerns
Joe Biden’s remarks add to a series of disagreements clearly expressed by his administration. The White House had expressed concern following the dismissal of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. And last week, extremely rare, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog – the brother of the Israeli president – had been summoned by the State Department, which signified its deep dissatisfaction, following the adoption of a law by the Knesset reversing the withdrawal of four settlements from the West Bank in 2005.
The Israelis responded sharply to the American president. “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions according to the will of its people and not according to pressure exerted from abroad, even their best friends”, reacted Netanyahu after having nevertheless recalled “the alliance steadfast” between the two countries. Ben Gvir, the Minister of National Security was more radical: “Israel is an independent country and no longer a star on the American flag. »
Damaged relations with the United States
This crisis with Washington introduces additional tension between the negotiating teams of the coalition and the opposition, brought together since Tuesday by President Isaac Herzog. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said: “For decades, Israel has been America’s closest ally, and the most extremist government in the country’s history has ruined that in three months. For his part, Benny Gantz, former chief of staff, former defense minister and president of the National Unity party, stressed that “damaging relations with the United States, our best friend and most important ally , is a strategic move. »
Today, Joe Biden must think back to the execrable relations that Barack Obama and Benyamin Netanyahu had had. And remember with nostalgia the trip, so friendly and so serene, made in Israel last July, when the Prime Minister was Yaïr Lapid.
