Netanyahu Rejects Biden's Call Against Judicial Reform in Israel

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected US President Joe Biden's call against the judicial reform in Israel, saying that the country would make decisions concerning its own future based on the Israeli people's will and not on "pressures from abroad."

On Tuesday, when talking to reporters, Biden twice urged Netanyahu to abandon his plans to advance the judicial reform in Israel and find a compromise on the issue.

"Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.

At the same time, the Israeli prime minister said that the alliance between Israel and the United States "is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements" between the two countries.

Netanyahu also stressed that his administration was "committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government, which we are striving to achieve via a broad consensus."

In January, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin rolled out a legal reform package that would limit the authority of the Supreme Court by giving the cabinet control over the selection of new judges, as well as allowing the Knesset to override the court's rulings with an absolute majority. The reform's opponents argue it will undermine democracy in Israel and put the country on the verge of a social and constitutional crisis.

For the last three months, tens of thousands of people have been protesting all across Israel against the reform. On Monday, after long and hard talks with his coalition partners, Netanyahu agreed to put the legislation on hold until the summer session of the Knesset. Despite this fact, the protests continue to grip the country.