Israeli Foreign Minister Criticizes US VP’s Opposition to Judicial Overhaul

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen of Israel criticized US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday for her objections to Israel’s controversial judicial reform plan. Speaking on Israel’s Kan Bet Radio, Cohen suggested that Harris was ill-informed about the reform’s specifics.

Cohen later tweeted, acknowledging his respect for Harris and the US as Israel’s ally but asserting that the reform was “an internal issue.” This statement followed Harris’ remarks on the independence of the judicial system during a speech at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, where she described it as integral to the shared values underpinning the US-Israel relationship.

The contentious reform, championed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, aims to curb the powers and independence of the Supreme Court, attorney general, and ministry legal advisers, putting greater power into the hands of the ruling coalition government. The plan has sparked mass protests across Israel.

Proponents of Israel’s judicial reform believe the current process, where nonelected officials—judges and lawyers—dominate judicial appointments, needs change to mirror democracies like the US, Germany, and France, where elected officials have a significant role in judicial appointments. They also argue that Israel’s process, which grants veto power to nonelected officials, is unusual.

Critics, however, warn that the reform threatens the judiciary’s independence, noting that in countries where public representatives select judges, this is generally done in consultation with the judiciary. They also highlight that Israel lacks the constitutional checks and balances found in other developed nations, exacerbating the risks of centralizing power in the ruling coalition’s hands. They also caution that the reform’s potential economic impact and its risk to the separation of powers have not been considered.

President Joe Biden and European leaders have openly criticized the reform. This international opposition reveals the ongoing tensions between the Biden Administration and Netanyahu’s coalition government, the most right-leaning in Israel’s history.