After a series of statements by US administration spokespeople criticizing the Israeli government's policy to carry out a coup against the judiciary, more and more US lawmakers are speaking up and warning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is putting his interest above Israel's.
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, said that as a long-time supporter of Israel, he is concerned that Netanyahu is "dangerously putting his own narrow political and legal interests – and those of the troubling extremists in his coalition – ahead of the long-term interests and needs of Israel's democracy."
He told Haaretz on Monday that US President Joe Biden was correct in highlighting the importance of democratic checks and balances, strong institutions, and an independent judiciary concerning the test currently facing Israel.
Senator Tim Kaine, a former Democratic vice presidential candidate, said that Netanyahu should listen to the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who protested against the plan in the past days.
"As tens of thousands of Israelis rally in support of democracy and judicial independence in their country, the Netanyahu administration should listen and avoid taking actions that threaten Israel's democratic institutions," Kaine said.
Representative David Cicilline warned that the "sweeping judicial overhaul proposal" championed by Israel's new far-right government would be "catastrophic" for the future of Israeli democracy.
He indicated that any attempts to change existing judicial processes must go through a rigorous review, including building a broad consensus with input from opposition parties and civil society.
Rep. Dan Goldman expressed concerns over the government's efforts to subvert the independence of the judiciary in a way that undermines Israel's standing as a “beacon” of freedom and democracy.
Goldman added: "As we have learned here at home, democracy is not something we can take for granted, and we must be vigilant about rooting out authoritarianism wherever it reads its ugly head, including with our closest allies like Israel."
Another representative, Steve Cohen, warned that the situation was a "disturbing and concerning set of events."
Israel has been a democracy and has operated under the rule of law as the US has, said Cohen, noting that American democracy went through a similar stress test under Donald Trump's presidency.
"What's happened in Israel is a lot like what happened in America with Trump," he said, adding that American democracy withstood Trump's assault on its institutions. It was a difficult period, and the parallels in Israel and with Netanyahu are evident.
"Netanyahu and Trump are a lot alike," Cohen noted, indicating that "hopefully, Israel will see the wrongs of what's happening and force the elements that exist in the Knesset to resist the changes they're seeking."
Cohen was optimistic that the US-Israel relationship would remain strong, adding, "just like in America, it's an errant direction, and Israel will find its moral center and move away from this. But right now, it's difficult."
