Netanyahu calls on Gantz to meet to negotiate judicial overhaul compromise

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls on opposition figure Benny Gantz to put aside preconditions and meet for judicial compromise discussions, minutes ahead of an expected statement by Gantz on the matter.

“I want to turn to Benny Gantz. We have a lot of disagreements but also a lot in common. We’re both called Benjamin. We both fought on the battlefield against a common enemy. And today most of the nation expects us to do something for a common goal. It wants us to reach agreements. But in order to reach agreements, one simple thing must be done: put aside all the prerequisites, all the obstacles, enter the room and talk,” Netanyahu says in a videotaped message.

“Therefore, I invite your team to sit down with our team tomorrow morning and do what most of the people of Israel expect: we will sit down and reach agreements,” he continues.

The prime minister’s message follows on the heels of his evening meeting with Justice Minister Yariv Levin, during which the two are said to have discussed President Isaac Herzog’s latest judicial compromise suggestion.

Levin this morning dismissed the framework as “impossible.”