US President Joe Biden said Israel could not continue pushing for controversial justice reforms, which have now been put on hold after massive demonstrations.

– Like many supporters of Israel, I am very worried. They can’t go on like this, which I’ve already explained, Biden told the press on Tuesday.

The president added that he hoped Israel would shelve the controversial judicial reforms.

– Hopefully, Netanyahu will act in a way that means he will try to find a compromise, but that remains to be seen, Biden said further.

He also said that it was not the right time to invite Netanyahu to the United States.

– Consensus

– Israel is a sovereign country that makes decisions based on the will of the people and not based on pressure from abroad, not even from friends, Netanyahu said late Wednesday in response to Biden’s comments.

Netanyahu also said his government is trying to carry out reforms by a broad consensus.

Proposals to reform Israel’s legal system have led to massive demonstrations and much criticism of the government. Amendments to the law would, among other things, limit the powers of the Supreme Court by allowing the Knesset to overrule decisions by simple majorities. Politicians will have more power in appointing Supreme Court judges.

Conversation

On Monday, Netanyahu confirmed that justice reform was postponed indefinitely after a general strike and mass demonstrations over the weekend.

On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu’s coalition government and the opposition met for talks. The talks, which took place at President Isac Herzog’s residence, ended after about an hour and a half.

According to a statement from Herzog’s office, the participants in the talks were “in good spirits”.

(© NTB)