WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that democratic values were a hallmark of relations between the two countries, saying he favored a compromise on the disputed reform Israeli justice.
During this telephone interview, Benjamin Netanyahu assured Joe Biden that the democracy of the Jewish state was healthy, according to the report made by the services of the Israeli leader.
Since returning to power last year as the head of an ultra-conservative government, Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for judicial reform that would give his government a greater role in the selection of judges and limit the ability of the Supreme Court to strike down laws.
This project has provoked a wave of protest in Israel and concerns around the world about the country’s democratic values.
While thousands of people have been demonstrating for weeks against the government plan, hundreds of Israeli army reservists and intelligence units have said they are joining the movement.
According to the White House, Joe Biden “underlined his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the relationship between the United States and Israel”.
The US president spoke of the need for checks and balances and broad support to undertake fundamental change. He gave his “support to the ongoing efforts to find a compromise on the reform project which is in line with these principles”.
(Report Costas Pitas in Washington and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem; Jean Terzian)
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