Israel after the passage this week of a
law that would limit the power of Courts
to overrule government actions it's a
lot Changed by the prime minister of
Israel Benjamin Netanyahu he joins us
now Mr Prime Minister thank you for
joining us
good to be here with you George I know
you presided over this vote just hours
after emergency surgery to implant a
pacemaker in your heart how are you
feeling this morning
I feel terrific
new Man of Steel well that is good to
hear but as you know there is a lot of
controversy plastic I think that's what
they put in there
lots of controversy over this bill you
have passed deep divisions as I said
Mass protests in Israel's National
strikes thousands of reservists have
said they don't want to serve now dozens
of top National Security officials say
this is harmed Israel's National
Security back in March you put this on
hold because you said you wanted to
prevent a rift in the country and avoid
a civil war so why go forward now
well because I think we have to bring
back Israeli democracy in line with what
is common to all democracies the essence
of democracy is the balance between the
will of the majority and the rights of
the minority and that's achieved by the
balance between the three branches of
government that's been taken off the
rails of Israel in the last 20 years
because the we have the most activist
judicial court on the planet and it's
arrogated for itself's powers from the
government from the executive and the
legislative branches so we've tried
we're trying to correct it but I want to
bring the pendulum to the middle I don't
want to bring the pendulum to the other
side there's a middle ground there and I
hope we can achieve it but that's why
we're doing it imagine that in the
United States the Supreme Court could
tell the executive the president okay we
are nullifying any one of your decisions
just based on something that we we think
is unreasonable uh you would not accept
it we don't accept it but we have to
correct it and that's what we just did
it's a minor correction it's described
as the end of Israeli democracy I think
that's silly and when the dust settles
everybody else you may think it's silly
you may say it's a minor correction but
we've all seen what's been happening in
Israel over the past several months
we've seen the protests we've seen the
strikes we've seen the outcry from other
officials we've heard President Biden
say it doesn't make sense to pursue this
right now Israel should go slow why not
take that advice
well I did I mean that this has been as
slow as you can go I've been here for uh
in government and this government for
seven months and I didn't proceed with
anything until this as I said this minor
correction which by the way many of the
opposition leaders supported just before
the elections they've changed their
views now for political reasons but I
held back I actually pressed the pause
button for three months because I did
take seriously the concerns I don't
think the arguments are are real but I
think the concern is real because people
are afraid I understand that so I
pressed the pause button for three
months try to get some kind of
compromise on anything and couldn't get
anything from the opposition and
therefore decided to proceed with this
minor correction which is common as I
said to all democracies and I'm still
trying uh as I said to President Biden
I'll try to proceed if not with a
consensus with the opposition the other
side of the political aisle in our
Parliament then at least on something
that is has brought Acceptance in the
public and I think it's possible I'm
actually more optimistic now than I was
before because up to now you know now
that they can see that we can we're
prepared to move without them we have
the majority maybe we'll be able to move
with them and I hope the opposition
leaders show responsibility and come to
the the middle there is a middle out
there and what do you say to your
critics who say that this reform was
designed in part for you to protect
yourself against these corruption
charges you've been facing
I think it's ridiculous it has nothing
to do with my my trial because it's been
proceeding for three years it's actually
unraveling uh I don't know if you know
that a few weeks ago the three judges
called in the prosecution and said
listen we haven't heard yet any of the
defense Witnesses but we're telling you
drop the bribery charts that's the main
charge you should drop it right now uh
so look I have only one request for my
trial that hasn't been met so far that
we have live television coverage of the
trial it's the best show in town this
has nothing to do with my trial it's a
bogus charge this is something that
concerns millions of Israelis who for
the last 20 years feel that they're
going to the polls they're voting in the
government they're voting in for
policies that are then nullified by a
Judiciary that basically arrogated
itself the powers of of the majority and
that that I don't think is right for
democracy that's what's driving this
reform not my individual case which is
proceeding fine the president Israel was
in Washington last week met with
President Biden you have not been
invited to the White House is that a
snub
uh I think President Biden in the last I
don't think I know that President Biden
the last conversation we had uh invited
me to uh the white house uh in in the
fall I think it's in September but we'll
finalize the date look I think our
relations are very strong uh I'm not
just saying that I think the uh the
cooperation on Intelligence on security
on strategic matters is as strong as
it's ever been I can tell you that we're
working on things that I think will
change history uh specifically we're
trying to block Iran's aggression but
also Advance uh peace with Saudi Arabia
which in addition to the historic
Abraham Accords with four Arab countries
it's changing the Middle East and I
think this will change the world I think
this will be a pivot of History uh we're
working on it so I think the relations
with the US are as strong as ever and
believe me the the US is our
Irreplaceable and indispensable Ally we
have no better friend and I can tell you
that the United States has no better
friend than Israel not only in the
Middle East but in the world as we move
into a highly technological World
Israel's technological prowess serves
the interests of both our countries and
has saved many many American lives
finally what can you do to heal the
divisions in Israel
talk reach out to the other side and get
to get to something that is realistic I
think Israel is a democracy uh will
remain a democracy I think it will be a
stronger democracy after some of these
uh reforms and met because the majority
of the people realize that we have to
correct some of these imbalances I hope
we can do it uh across the board across
the aisle but if not we should do it
with something that has broad National
consensus I'll do my best to do it uh
and we'll get over it people don't
understand democracies you know they
don't understand that France can have
these divisions that the U.S can have
these divisions that Israel has these
divisions but the strength of democracy
is that we voice these divisions we
protest But ultimately we make important
Democratic decisions and that'll be the
case in Israel as well Mr Prime Minister
thank you for your time this morning
thank you George pleasure
hi everyone George Stephanopoulos here
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