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Discussions on justice in Israel go to next round

Israeli President Izchak Herzog met again today with the opposition to discuss plans for the judiciary. Herzog met with representatives of three smaller opposition parties at the president’s residence, his office said.

The day before, the first talks began between the coalition and the two largest opposition parties under Herzog’s leadership over the controversial restructuring of the judiciary. After fierce protests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had postponed the proposed law to “open space for dialogue”.

After the start of negotiations, his party, Likud, said that no concrete plan had yet been presented, only a list of issues to be discussed.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jariv Levin has made it clear that he intends to stick with plans to deliberately weaken the independent judiciary. “I will do my best to ensure that justice is done and the law is passed in the next session,” he wrote in a message published in Israeli media, calling on reform supporters to protest.

Netanyahu defends the policy

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu previously defended his policy. “Israel was, is and always will be a proud, strong and vibrant democracy, a beacon of freedom and shared prosperity in the heart of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said in a video address at a virtual democracy summit hosted by US President Joe Biden. .

He believes that amid this debate, Israel has a “historic opportunity” to strengthen democracy and restore a “proper balance” between the three branches of government. This is the only way to protect the rights of the individual and the majority.

On relations with the US, Netanyahu said: “Israel and the United States have had their differences at times.” But the alliance between the two countries is “unshakable”. The day before, Biden had hushed up the prospect of an early Netanyahu visit to Washington.