JERUSALEM, Israel – Justice Minister Yariv Levin said Monday that the U.S. government is aiding Israel’s anti-justice reform movement. Levin’s comments came as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was preparing to become the second House leader to address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in 25 years.
In a video published on Israel’s Walla! News, Levin, in an apparent reference to the Biden administration and the State Department, told an ultra-Orthodox group, (Washington) “is working in cooperation with them (the anti-reform movement) on this, as you can see from the things said by the people in the government there.”
Levin added that the supporters of the Netanyahu government’s judicial reform, who held a rally of at least 200,000 people last Thursday, are at a “truly incomprehensible disadvantage” in making the case for reform. “They have the courts, the attorney general, all of the heads of the economy, the US government…total control of journalism, of the websites Ynet. Walla, Israel Hayom,” he said.
He continued, “If we would have had a perfect campaign (outlining the judicial reform plan), there is no chance that we would have reached a different situation. The other side has an arsenal of amazing tools whose power was exposed in this event like never before. It is incredibly well-funded.”
Anti-government protesters held another huge rally in Tel Aviv this weekend following the large pro-government demonstration in Jerusalem.
Last month President Joe Biden warned that Israel “should not go down this road” of judicial reform and said he had no plans to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.
McCarthy criticized Biden’s refusal to see Netanyahu in Washington and told Israel Hayom on his visit, “If that doesn’t happen, I’ll invite the prime minister to come meet with the House (of Representatives).” He added, “He’s a dear friend, as a prime minister of a country that we have our closest ties with.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog seemed to have Levin in mind when he cautioned that in this time of deep divisions in the country, it is important for “everyone to behave in moderation, to restrain our remarks and conduct, to act responsibly – in particular, public officials.”
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