Netanyahu: US, Israel Still Strong Allies Despite Tensions

Tensions have risen between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent weeks after Biden urged Israel’s leader to abandon his judicial overhaul plans, but Netanyahu insisted Sunday that the two nations remain strong allies despite the disagreement. 

“I think President Biden has been a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu said told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I’ve known him for 40 years from the time he was a senator through vice president through president. I know his commitment to Israeli security. Friends can have disagreements on occasion, but I share with him the view that we should act and not only share the view. I’m actually acting on it to try to reach a broad consensus as possible.”

Netanyahu added that when he compares the degree of coordination between Israel and the United States on “security matters, on intel, on cyber, economic cooperation, there’s just no comparison to where this was 27 years ago.”

“I always say America is Israel’s indispensable and by far the best ally and I want to tell you, I don’t think you have a better ally in the world than Israel,” he continued. “Israel has become a great technological power and is a great asset to the United States and our cooperation, mutual cooperation saves a lot of American and Israeli lives.”

Show host Chuck Todd pointed out that Netanyahu’s defense minister has called for a pause in the judicial reform package proposal, which has sparked widespread protests in Israel. Further, Todd noted that the prime minister’s public approval has plummeted, and last week Moody’s downgraded Israel’s economic rating.

Netanyahu told Todd that many of his comments were “incorrect,” and that he is looking for a “broad consensus” on the nation’s judiciary reform. 

“Every democracy, including your own, has continuous tension between the judiciary and the executive or the legislative,” he said. “That’s happening in America. It’s happening in France and it’s happening in Israel and it’s a natural tension of trying to keep the balance between the three branches of government and Israel is no different.”

The reform movement, he said, would bring the judiciary’s role “back into proper balance” as he wants to ensure that “the pendulum doesn’t swing from an all-powerful judiciary.”

He also rejected an argument that he is pushing for judiciary reforms to benefit himself because of corruption charges he is facing. 

“Here’s another fib, another lie,” the prime minister said. “That’s just not true. My own legal proceedings, which by the way are crumbling…I’ve made it absolutely, abundantly clear that the reform will not affect any judge who today or tomorrow, or in the future has to deal with my case. My case is completely independent from this. “

The prime minister further commented on the leaks that have come out from the U.S. government, including one document indicating that Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, has advocated for members to protest the current government.  

“I value American intelligence a little more than that, and I think they probably know the truth,” he said. “The truth is the Mossad’s legal adviser said that under Israeli law, junior members of Mossad can participate in demonstrations and not senior members. That’s, I think, that’s what led to this misunderstanding.”

“Mossad, the military, and the internal security service are working hand in hand with me as prime minister to assure the security of the country and they’re doing a damn good job of it, too,” he added.