Germany’s Scholz urges Netanyahu to consider Herzog’s judicial reform proposal

BERLIN — At their joint press conference after meeting, Chancellor Olaf Scholz alongside Benjamin Netanyahu expresses concern over the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul efforts, urging him to consider President Herzog’s proposal.

“Independence of the judiciary is a prime asset,” he says.

“We are monitoring this debate very closely,” he adds, urging a broad consensus.

Scholz expresses concern over rising violence in the West Bank, saying it must be dealt with by the army, “not with unbridled vigilante justice.”

The German leader also says Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, and therefore “a diplomatic solution is our top priority.”

In his own remarks, Netanyahu says that “Israel will do what Israel needs to do” to defend itself against Iranian designs.

He adds that those who send terrorists “will pay a heavy price.”

Responding to Scholz, Netanyahu says, “I want to assure you, Israel is a liberal democracy, and will remain a liberal democracy.”

He also defends his government’s proposals for upending the judicial system, denying they will undercut the independence of the courts, which he says too many people feel are all powerful. In the end, he says, Israel will have the same balance as Germany and other Western democracies.