as Israeli President Isaac Herzog,
nicknamed Boogie in Israel
and members
of most of most members
of Congress,
came together
to honor
the modern state of Israel's
75th year of existence.
But as CNN's
Hadas Gold reports for us now,
it was impossible to ignore concerns
about the health
of Israel's democracy and its future.
A historic speech
by the Israeli
president, Isaac Herzog, on Wednesday
during a critical
and tense juncture in Israeli U.S.
relations.
President Joe Biden,
having called some members
of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's government
the most extremist in Israeli history
and calling on Netanyahu
to pump the brakes on the massive
judicial overhaul legislation
that will completely change
the Israeli Supreme Court.
The Israeli president
acknowledging the recent fissures.
I'm well aware of the imperfections
of Israeli democracy,
and I'm conscious of the questions
posed by our greatest of friends.
The momentous debate in Israel is painful
and deeply unnerving
because it highlights
the cracks in the whole
Receiving several standing
ovations, including while extolling
the very institution
Netanyahu is trying to overhaul
its strong Supreme Court
and independent judiciary
Some empty seats, though,
as progressive
Democrats boycotted the address,
including Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal,
who recently caused controversy
after calling Israel a racist state.
Later, walking those remarks back
but still a no show.
Should the speaker not have invited them?
I think this is not a good time for
for that to happen
on all sides of the aisle.
At the Oval Office on Tuesday
with President Biden,
warm words
contrasted with a stark split screen
back in Israel
as protests
raged again
over the judicial overhaul
Netanyahu has vowed to push through.
Shortly after meeting with Herzog, Biden
granted New York Times
columnist Thomas Friedman an interview
whose own interpretation
of Biden's feelings
making major waves in Israel.
Biden is basically pleading
with Netanyahu
and his supporters to understand
if we are not seen to share
the democratic value,
it will be difficult to sustain
the special relationship
that Israel and America have enjoyed
for the last 75 years.
For another 75 years,
Herzog, who has been
trying to mediate
a consensus
on judicial reform
leading into history
and the Bible in his address
to push Congress
to keep that relationship going strong.
Mr.
Speaker, therefore hence
the sacred bond
we share is unique in scope and quality
because it is
based on values that reach across
generations, across
administrations, across
governments and coalitions,
carrying us
through times of turmoil and elation and
hopeful words for a country facing
an uncertain future.
Now, as for when Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu himself
will actually be invited
to meet with President Biden,
that still sort of up in the air.
The two leaders did speak on Monday,
but there is a bit of a discrepancy
about how much of an invitation
was really extended.
The Israelis saying,
yeah, Biden invited
Netanyahu to come meet the White House,
being a bit more circumspect, saying
that the two agreed
to meet sometime in the future.
There is some debate
whether that will be actually
in Washington
or potentially somewhere else,
for example, at the U.N.
General Assembly in September Jake.
All right.
That's gold in Jerusalem. For us.
Thank you so much.
Want to bring in Kevin
Liptak in Washington
who was listening to that.
And Kevin,
I think it's fair to say
there is widespread support
for Israel
on both sides of the aisle in Congress.
But some House Democrats skipped
this address. Just tell us why.
Yeah, it was a handful,
only about five
or so of the most progressive
Democrats in Congress.
And what they were protesting
was Israel's treatment
of the Palestinians, really.
But more broadly, this idea of Israel
backsliding in terms of democracy,
and that is something that you hear
from many Democrats, not just the ones
who skipped the speech today,
but real concerns
about these proposed judicial overhauls.
That are underway in
Israel now,
as well as expanding
settlements in the West Bank.
And there is a real divide
among Democrats
about how to approach those issues
with Israel,
because certainly
most Democrats,
along with most Republicans,
are very supportive of Israel.
And you saw that in the speech today
where real bipartisan
in support
in terms of applause
lines, in terms of support
for the Israeli war President Herzog.
But there are concerns
about the state of the democracy
in that country
when it comes
to the prime
minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, and his government.
And so these lawmakers
who skipped this speech today,
I think really are
trying to take a stand against
what's happening on the ground there.
Now, we should say
it's not rare necessarily for lawmakers
to boycott these speeches.
And, in fact,
when Prime Minister
Netanyahu spoke before
Congress in 20,
1553 members of Congress
boycotted that speech.
There were far fewer who boycotted today.
But I do think it
speaks to this challenge
that Democrats find themselves in
and how to navigate this criticism
of the Netanyahu government
without necessarily
criticizing Israel itself.
So, yeah,
and on the day of this address,
of course,
The New York Times had an interview.
I'm not sure
whether you saw this,
Kevin, with President Biden conducted,
but by Tom Friedman
in which he said, I'm
going to read part of it from Biden.
Finding consensus
on controversial areas of policy
means taking the time you need
for significant changes.
That's essential.
So my recommendation to Israeli
leaders is not Rush.
I believe the best outcome is to continue
to seek the broadest possible
consensus here.
And then he went on to say, after
about an hour
and 15 minutes of conversation
and Tom Friedman kind of
put it into get into
how he analyzed,
he said
he's basically
pleading with Netanyahu
and his supporters to understand
if we are not seen to share
that democratic value,
it will be difficult to sustain
the special relationship
that Israel, America have enjoyed
for the last 75 years
for another 75 years.
Was this last part of the message
that we just heard
that was that conveyed to Netanyahu
during that whole between
Netanyahu and Biden that they had
on Monday?
You know, I think it was.
And when American officials
are reading out that call
after it took place on Monday,
they were clear that
President Biden was very forthright
with his Israeli counterpart,
that Democratic ideals
are the underpinning of the US
Israel relationship and that
degrading those
ideals could
have the potential
of degrading
their relationship over time.
And it was interesting
in that column, Thomas
Friedman said that President Biden felt
he couldn't be silent on this issue.
So many things when it comes to Israel
and the United States
are so politically fraught.
Certainly, Republicans
have been targeting
President Biden
for not necessarily
supporting the Netanyahu government,
equating it with not supporting Israel
in its security, in its regional issues.
And I think it's important
that President Biden,
in this interview with Thomas
Friedman, made clear
that while he supports Israel,
he is a staunch supporter of Israel.
He cannot support
some of the issues
that Netanyahu is talking about
when it comes to this judicial overhaul.
And certainly no one in
the United States wants the relationship
to degrade.
It's a very important
intelligence relationship,
military relationship, in addition
to the highly symbolic relationship
with the world's only Jewish state.
And so certainly President Biden
walking a very fine line
in that interview and in public
when it comes to talking
about these issues, talking about Israel
and talking about Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu,
who he is expected to meet later
this year.
That will be a very important meeting
for all of these issues
to kind of come to a head
later this year.
But no date yet. Right.
So, Kevin Liptak, appreciate it.
Thanks very much, Kevin.
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