American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stepped out of character for an American Secretary of State, yesterday and weighed in on internal Israeli politics.
The chief diplomat for the United States issued an unusual statement when he indirectly addressed the storm surrounding the Netanyahu-Levin plan for reforms to the judicial system and made it clear that "consensus building for new proposals is the most effective way to ensure that they are adopted and last."
Blinken urges Netanyahu to build broad consensus around judicial overhaul plan https://t.co/7OXvRy9qZS
— Axios (@axios) January 31, 2023
Behind this statement lies Washington’s concern about the controversial clauses in the plan, which have already led to widespread protests by businessmen, economists, and lawyers both in the US and Israel.
Blinken, who met privately with Netanyahu and also with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, spoke about his concerns over the changes and expressed fear of damage to Israel's democracy. Therefore, even before speaking publicly, Netanyahu clarified in his statement that "Israeli democracy will remain strong."
Good to meet with Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu today in Jerusalem. We have an ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and look forward to working with the Prime Minister in support of the interests and values our nations have long shared. pic.twitter.com/ZEB8kd4rTO
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 30, 2023
Another anonymous senior American official traveling with Blinken said that "Our position is that Israel is a healthy democracy and in fact the only democracy in the Middle East. This is our number one argument to defend Israel at the UN. These are the values we share, and it is important that this continues. We want strong checks and balances and a strong democracy, this is very important to us and important to more than half of Israelis."
Sources in Likud added that Netanyahu is very afraid of the American position on the issue since key figures in the US who traditionally have been strong supporters of him and the Likud Party are sending him messages that these reforms are not acceptable to them. Among other things, the Americans are telling Netanyahu that they will not continue as they did the day before yesterday if the plan passes, because according to them, it will change the legal status of Israel.
#Israel - Soundbites from Blinken and Netanyahu's joint news conference today in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/MRKtR7Au7F
— Joe Snell (@joesnell03) January 30, 2023
Blinken referred in his speech not only to the need to reach a broad consensus around the changes in the judicial system but also spoke indirectly about the demonstrations and protests against it. "The vitality of civil society in Israel has recently been fully seen," he said. He emphasized the need to "maintain a strong civil society in Israel", and added that "the commitment of the people in our two countries to make their voices heard and protect their rights is one of the unique strengths of our democracies".
In the joint statement by Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog and Blinken, the president declared "I heard your comment about the internal situation in Israel. It is something that I am committed to and am trying to resolve, or lead to a process of dialogue. As you said, it is an issue that requires broad agreement, about which many democracies argue. We are a vibrant democracy, as you said, and I am proud of the Israelis who engage in this discussion here and there and express their opinions."
