“The protesters are protesting something that they don’t understand,” this is what Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America said Wednesday in an interview with the program "New Money" on the Yedioth Ahronoth radio station. Mort met Tuesday with Minister Bezalel Smotrich during his visit to the United States, where the minister faced heavy protesting amid his arrival.
Three more Israeli shot by a despicable Arab terrorist. America must stop the $800 million in aid to Abbas’ Palestinian Arab terrorist dictatorship until Abbas stops spending $400 million a ##year#paying Arabs lifetime pensions to murder Jews.
— Morton Klein (@MortonAKlein7) March 10, 2023
Klein, a staunch advocate for Zionism in the US, a close ally of former President Trump as well as one of the preeminent Jewish figures in America, said that "Right now, it is the Bar and the justices who pick new justices. You keep getting the same left-wing justices Right-wing judges cannot get on because the left-wing judges don’t permit it. We must have the elected officials pick the judges…just like an America."
The Zionist Organization of America was founded in 1897 and is the first Jewish-Zionist organization in the United States. Klein, who has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics and a master's degree in statistics, has been the head of the organization since 1994. Today, the organization is considered right-wing and, among other things, has openly announced support for the annexation of Judea and Samaria to the State of Israel.
I understand thinking that democracy in Israel has ended if a sitting Prime Minister were deposed, or the Basic Laws revoked. But I don't understand declaring the end of democracy for having both left and right wing gov'ts appoint some of the justices of the Sup. Ct.
— Eugene Kontorovich (@EVKontorovich) March 12, 2023
During the interview, Klein voiced strong support for the Netanyahu-Levin plan: "The main things we talked about in the meeting with Smotrich was the judicial reform and how the protesters are demonstrating for something they don't understand.” He further expressed his concern that the media in Israel and around believe that this would destroy democracy and the Supreme Court, “This is nonsense".
In regards to a question asked about the clause in the judicial reform seeking to overrule court opinions, Klein said: "I believe that this [the number of MKs whose support is required to overrule a court opinion] should be 65 and not 61... a larger number, that is what the discussion should be about. Why don’t they [those who oppose the judicial reform] say 'we want 70 and not 61'? Because they don't want change, they want the government to fall because they are frustrated that they can't win the elections."
Klein blasted the mainstream groups like AIPAC and ADL who won't be meeting with Smotrich, accusing them of applying a double standard while meeting with Abbas and other PA officials.
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) March 12, 2023
Klein, in regard to fears that the reforms will harm the Israeli economy, also claimed that "Business people and the stock markets don’t like being nervous and don’t like instability; so when they see stability when the rules have changed and everything is normal things will be fine. I disagree with all these economists, who have been wrong many times.”
