60 Minutes to air report on protest movement in Israel as Netanyahu heads for US
Preview of TV feature on demonstrations includes interview with military reservist activists; protesters vow to hound PM while he’s abroad
CBS’s 60 Minutes will air a report on the ongoing protests in Israel against the coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departs Sunday evening for a visit to the United States.
A short clip from the report by journalist Lesley Stahl, titled “Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul triggers mass protests,” features scenes from the demonstrations and an interview with three activists from the Brothers and Sisters in Arms protest group.
“You want to make those elected officials understand that what they’re doing is wrong. You want to wake up and shake up people. And you don’t do that by being nice,” one of the activists says in the snippet.
Netanyahu himself has spoken numerous times with US media over the past year to defend the contentious legislation but has rarely granted interviews to Israeli media outlets.
Because of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, the weekly protests held around Israel against the judicial overhaul will kick off their 37th straight week on Sunday evening instead of Saturday.
Critics of the coalition’s plans say the legislative package will fundamentally alter Israel’s democratic system by stripping the judiciary’s ability to act as a check on the governing coalition. Supporters say that it is necessary to reign in what they see as an overly activist court.
Protesters call Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempted overhaul of the Israeli Supreme Court a threat to democracy. Lesley Stahl reports, Sunday. https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW pic.twitter.com/ZuuOpiR2vY
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 15, 2023
Protesters have vowed to follow Netanyahu on his trip to the US, where he will meet a series of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly including a much-anticipated sit-down with US President Joe Biden.
“The accused travels again to tell stories at the UN, and Kaplan Force will be there too!” the Kaplan Force protest group said in a statement, referring to the premier’s corruption trial. “In the coming week, the UN General Assembly will be held in New York and the protest is being organized to remind the world that Israel will not be a dictatorship”
Expat activists have proved to be a persistent thorn in the side of government ministers and Knesset members during visits to New York and other cities in the US, using a network of sympathizers to hound the lawmakers wherever they appear, ensuring that they find no safe haven abroad from the political discord at home.
Netanyahu has been angling for a visit to the White House since he returned to office as head of a right-wing, far-right, and ultra-Orthodox coalition in late December. The Biden administration has held off on such an invitation amid the massive protests and fierce opposition to his government’s judicial overhaul bid, which Washington has repeatedly warned against.
The premier is set to address the gathering of world leaders on Friday morning local time.
The prime minister has come under criticism for asking for his speech to be moved to Friday morning, ensuring he and his wife have a weekend abroad at taxpayer expense.
Netanyahu will spend six days in the US in total, including Shabbat with his staff in an Upper East Side hotel, before hurrying back ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday on Sunday.
Luke Tress contributed to this report.
