Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, following harsh criticism from President Joe Biden over reforms to Israel’s judiciary.
McCarthy tweeted his support: “Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman, and most importantly, a great friend of the USA. Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception. I support @netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering.”
Kevin McCarthy on Twitter: “Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman, and most importantly, a great friend of the USA.Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception.I support @netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering. / Twitter”
Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman, and most importantly, a great friend of the USA.Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception.I support @netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering.
Biden framed his refusal as a response to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms, which aim to increase the power of the legislature, such as allowing it to approve judges (as the Senate does in the United States).
Netanyahu paused his reforms on Monday to allow more time for negotiation with the left-wing opposition. In response, Ambassador [Tom] Nides said that Biden would extend a long-awaited invitation to Netanyahu to visit.
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But Biden later told reporters that there would be no such invitation: “No. Not in the near term.”
Negotiations between the Israeli government and the opposition parties are ongoing.
