More than 80 House Democrats have signed a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday calling on him to meddle in Israel’s internal affairs and “use all diplomatic tools available” to compel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop advancing his government’s contentious plan for judicial reform.
The letter, spearheaded by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Con), chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Jim McGovern (D-MA), the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, places the government’s attempt at reversing a power grab by the left-leaning judiciary on equal footing to foreign policy issues such as the conflict with the Palestinians.
In the letter, the House Democrats express their “deep concern regarding the planned changes to the structure of the Israeli judiciary, the fragile security situation in the West Bank, and the threat of partial or full annexation of areas that would most certainly be part of a future Palestinian state.”
“We urge you to use all diplomatic tools available to prevent Israel’s current government from further damaging the nation’s democratic institutions and undermining the potential for two states for two peoples,” the letter reads, according to a copy seen by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA).
The Americans cite Biden’s own comments about the importance of “strong institutions,” “checks and balances,” and “an independent judiciary” in any democracy.
Not all House Democrats were in favor of the letter.
Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fl), both Jewish, said in a joint statement Wednesday, “Israel remains our most vital ally in the Middle East. It is also its own democracy.”
“Regardless of our personal views and concerns, Congress should not publicly intervene in ongoing negotiations of a key democratic ally,” they wrote. “Doing so, especially in a partisan way, could undermine those negotiations toward a positive outcome.”
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas slammed the Biden administration and the House Democrats interfering in Israel’s internal politics.
“Far from staying neutral in Israel’s domestic affairs, Secretary of State Tony Blinken lectured [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu about the judicial reforms to his face, tacitly siding with the demonstrators,” he said. “Some Democratic senators have also condemned the reform proposals. Which is awfully rich coming from the Democrats, who have voted to shred this Senate’s ancient rules to pack our Supreme Court and to re-write our Founding documents.
“I guess when American liberals want to change the courts, it’s the only way to save democracy, but when Israeli conservatives want to, it’s a threat to democracy. Go figure,” added Cotton.
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