US appears to subtly knock Israel’s planned judicial overhaul

By Jacob Magid

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9 January 2023, 7:07 pm

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and then-US vice president Joe Biden speak in front of media prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

The Biden administration appears to offer vague criticism of the planned overhaul to Israel’s legal system recently announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“As a general matter, Israel’s independent institutions are crucial to upholding the country’s thriving democracy, and our shared democratic values are at the heart of our bilateral relationship,” reads a statement from the US State Department that was distributed to reporters who requested comment on the matter.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says at a press conference that he is slated to visit Israel next week for meetings with senior officials in Netanyahu’s government in order to get a better understanding of Jerusalem’s plans moving forward.