Six Democratic members of Congress have sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to use all diplomatic tools at his disposal to stop the Israeli government from carrying out its planned judicial reform, “protect the viability of a negotiated two-state solution” and deescalate the “heightened tensions in Israel and the West Bank.”
The letter was signed by Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), and Steve Cohen (D-TN).
All six seemed to have imbibed rather deeply of the Koolaid being poured by Israel’s political opposition parties and their leftist allies in howling their protests against the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was elected for a sixth time last November with a comfortable right-wing majority.
“The proposals to grant members of the Knesset control over judicial appointments, eliminate judicial review of legislation, and permit the legislature to overturn Supreme Court decisions would jeopardize Israeli democracy, which in turn would undermine the very foundation of the US-Israel relationship,” the lawmakers claimed in the March 8 letter.
“Stripping the judiciary of its check on the governing coalition would empower far-right lawmakers seeking to entrench settlement of the West Bank and advance a pro-annexation agenda, undermining the prospects for a two-state solution and threatening Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state,” the letter continued.
“As Israel as seen massive and sustained protests against the plans, it is crucial that the Israeli government live up to the democratic ideals on which it was founded and avoid a constitutional crisis,” the lawmakers added.
They also noted the deteriorating security situation as well, albeit claiming that Israeli forces have killed more than “60 Palestinians” so far this year, without bothering to explain that the vast majority were confirmed terrorists planning or already setting out to attack Israeli citizens. As an apparent afterthought, the American lawmakers added that “Palestinian violence against Israelis also has increased recently with a number of horrifying attacks.”
“In this fragile and combustible moment, consistent and sustained US diplomatic leadership is critical to preempt counterproductive unilateral actions and prevent violent escalations,” the lawmakers wrote. They added praise for the Biden Administration’s signing of a United Nations Security Council presidential statement as an important demonstration of the US commitment to “opposing settlement expansion.
“With the Knesset on the cusp of stripping the judiciary’s check over the current government, we urge you to make clear that the US will firmly oppose any moves toward annexation that the Israeli government may pursue as a result . . . we urge you to use all diplomatic tools at your disposal to address this grave situation.”
The Biden Administration last year funneled $38,000 to the Movement for Quality Government leftist NGO that is one of the organizers behind the ongoing anti-government protests wracking the Jewish State and disrupting daily life for its citizens.
There have also been repeated remarks from every spokesperson for the Biden Administration as well as from Secretary of State Antony Blinken as well, scolding Israel’s prime minister and pressuring him to buckle to opposition pressure, despite his clear mandate from the majority.
It goes without saying that if Israel meddled in a similar manner in decisions by the US government there would be outrage, not to mention a high political price to pay.
