Herzog pleads for courage from leaders to seal overhaul deal, ‘end crisis’

President Isaac Herzog delivers a televised speech from the Latrun military site, saying that Israel is facing a threat from within, and calling on the country’s leaders to show backbone and compromise on reforms to the judiciary.

Herzog calls on the nation’s political leadership to show “courage and responsibility to get us out of this crisis.”

“This is a moment of truth for the political system,” he says.

Herzog tells those gathered that a proposed compromise has wide purchase in both the coalition and opposition.

“Now we need decisiveness, now we need a decision of leadership,” he says. “Our tradition of leadership is not to just look at your base, but to consider the nation over narrow political considerations.”

“The leaders owe us the truth,” Herzog says. “An agreement is possible, we can bring the nation back to prosperity.”

The president voices support for changes to the judiciary, but not done unilaterally.