After Judicial Reform Pause, Netanyahu Will Be Invited to White House
Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will soon be invited to the White House, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides told Army Radio on Tuesday, hours after Netanyahu on Monday night announced in a nationally televised address that he would pause the judicial reform legislation making its way through the country’s parliament out of a sense of “national responsibility” and the desire to prevent a “civil war.” Such an invitation has eluded the prime minister since his government was sworn in at the end of last year, an implied critique of his government policies. “I’m sure he’ll be coming relatively soon,” Nides said. “I assume after Passover, obviously no date has been set yet. There’s no question he will come and meet [US President Joe] Biden. They will see each other personally, I’m sure, quite soon. Without question, he’ll be coming to the White House as soon as their schedules can be coordinated.”
Following Netanyahu’s announcement on Monday night, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog spoke with the prime minister and opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to set up negotiations through his office to arrive at a compromise on judicial reform. Netanyahu said he would suspend the legislation but said that the reform will take place and that it will again be taken up and approved during the Knesset’s summer session, which runs from April 29 to July 30.
“Our way is right. A large majority of the public today recognizes the necessity of democratic reform in the judicial system. The people cannot be robbed of their free choice. We will not give up the path for which we were elected. But an attempt will be made to achieve a broad consensus,” Netanyahu said in his Monday night announcement.
Following Netanyahu’s announcement, the Histadrut labor union, the largest trade union in the country, called off the mass strike it mounted on Monday to force the prime minister’s hand. Organizers of the popular protest against the judicial reform said that the protests would continue until the plan is completely canceled, however.
