Israel Prez Herzog to meet Biden amid US concerns over Netanyahu
Netanyahu’s government is moving forward with judicial reforms that have resulted in huge protests, and he has authorised the construction of thousands of new housing units in the West Bank. Both of these moves have been met with significant opposition.
WASHINGTON: Vice President Joe Biden is hosting Israel’s figurehead president Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday. The two leaders are working to maintain ties with one another in spite of concerns raised by the United States regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious plans to overhaul his country’s judicial system and ongoing construction of settlements in the West Bank.
The visit of Herzog comes just one day after Vice President Joe Biden had a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and extended an invitation to the latter to meet in the United States in the autumn, despite the fact that the President of the United States expressed some qualms over several of the policies enacted by the Netanyahu hard-right coalition.
Both judicial reforms and the construction of thousands of additional housing units in the occupied West Bank have been given the green light by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which is moving forward with the reforms despite significant opposition in Israel.
Netanyahu and his allies, who include a collection of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist groups, have argued that the proposal is necessary in order to curb the authority of unelected judges. The plan’s opponents argue that it would lead to the collapse of Israel’s already precarious system of checks and balances and will push the nation closer to authoritarian rule.
Herzog has made a passionate plea for a compromise, but none has been reached as of yet. Concerns have been voiced on the plan by a wide variety of Jewish groups in the United States as well as Democratic MPs.
During his trip, Herzog is going to meet with a number of important people, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and the leaders of Congress. On Wednesday, he will make history by becoming the second Israeli president to address Congress, following in the footsteps of his father, Chaim Herzog. The celebration of Israel’s 75th year of independence will begin after he has finished speaking.
This visit by Herzog comes just a few weeks after Israeli troops carried out one of their most intensive operations in the West Bank in the past two decades. This operation consisted of a two-day air and ground onslaught in Jenin, which is a militant bastion in the occupied West Bank. In reaction to a wave of violence with the Palestinians that has lasted for more than a year, senior members of Netanyahu’s government have been pressing for expanded construction and other measures to solidify Israel’s authority over the West Bank. These efforts include increasing settlement construction.
Officials from the United States have, for the most part, voiced their support for Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from militant groups. However, they have also urged Israel to exercise restraint in order to minimise harm to civilians, and they have lobbied against the establishment of additional settlements, which would further reduce the likelihood of achieving a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
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