The United States on Monday once again said that consensus is required on the government”s planned judicial reform, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the judicial reform legislation would be advanced in the coming week.
A National Security Council spokesperson quoted in several media outlets said, “The President has said consistently, both privately and publicly, that fundamental reforms like these require a broad basis of support to be durable and sustained, and we hope there will be genuine compromise.”
“Ultimately, it is up to Israelis to find the best path forward. But as close friends of Israel, we urge them to reach a compromise with the broadest possible base of popular support. We look forward to working with Israel to advance the interests and democratic values that have been at the heart of our relationship for decades,” added the spokesperson.
The comments come a day after Netanyahu announced that the legislation would be advanced after the opposition suspended the negotiations at the President’s Residence last week.
“What was proven last week is that the so-called negotiations were actually just a waste of time,” Netanyahu said.
The Prime Minister added that the coalition gave the opposition “a month, and then another month, and another, and their representatives did not agree to even the most minimal understanding. Their intention was just to buy time, to waste time.”
“A large majority of the public today understands that changes need to be made to the judicial system, so we will gather this week and begin the practical steps, we will do them in a measured, responsible manner, in accordance with the mandate we received,” he said.
US officials have repeatedly opined that any changes to the judicial reform in Israel should be implemented with the agreement of both the government and the opposition.
President Joe Biden weighed in on the judicial reform in February, telling The New York Times, “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,” the President added.
Vice President Kamala Harris later also weighed in on the issue, telling Politico, “As the president has said, an independent judiciary is foundational for a democracy. And I think that there is no question that we need to make sure that that is supported in terms of what we talk about [and] in terms of our values.”
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides called on Israeli leaders to “pump the brakes” on the judicial reform.
Two weeks ago, Harris again commented on the judicial reform, telling a reception held by the Israeli Embassy in Washington that an independent judiciary was one of the values that have been the bedrock of the US-Israel relationship.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen fired back on Harris’ veiled criticism of the government’s judicial reform, telling Reshet Bet radio in an interview that the Vice President had no knowledge of the actual proposals in the plan.
“If you’d ask Kamala Harris what bothers her about the reform – she wouldn’t even be able to cite a single clause that bothers her. I bet that she hasn’t even read the bill. Even the judges in the US don’t have the right to decide who will replace them,” claimed Cohen.

After his comments caused an uproar, Cohen walked back his criticism and wrote on Twitter, “I have deep respect for our ally the United States of America and for Vice President Harris, a true friend of Israel.”
“Israel”s legal reform is an internal issue that is currently in the process of consolidation and dialogue. The State of Israel will continue to be democratic and liberal, as it has always been,” he added.