Responding to Nides, Smotrich says Israel expects US to stay out of internal matters

By Jeremy Sharon

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

19 February 2023, 6:02 pm

1 Edit

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a Religious Zionism party press conference about the judicial overhaul in Jerusalem, February 19, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In his speech to a Religious Zionism party conference, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also takes aim at US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, telling him not to intervene in the government’s radical legal reform program, after the ambassador urged the government to “pump the brakes” on the issue.

“We very much appreciate the friendship and the strong and strategic alliance between Israel and the US,” says Smotrich.

“We have always been diligent not to intervene in internal US matters, and therefore we expect that they too not intervene in our internal matters such as the legal reforms or the division of authorities between myself and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,” Smotrich continued.