Israel President Urges Leaders to Seize Moment to End Judicial Crisis

Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivers a joint press conference with Austria's President on September 5, 2023 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. (AFP)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivers a joint press conference with Austria's President on September 5, 2023 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. (AFP)
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Israel President Urges Leaders to Seize Moment to End Judicial Crisis

Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivers a joint press conference with Austria's President on September 5, 2023 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. (AFP)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivers a joint press conference with Austria's President on September 5, 2023 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. (AFP)

Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rivals to reach a compromise that would end the judicial crisis just a week ahead of a crunch court hearing.

Herzog said on Monday he has been speaking with coalition and opposition leaders over the past few weeks in a renewed push to reach broad agreements that would stave off a constitutional crisis and safeguard democracy after months of protests.

"There are moments in such a crisis when leadership must seize the rare opportunity in order to reach out and come to an agreement. This is such a moment," Herzog said in a speech. "Enough already. I call on the leaders to show responsibility."

His call comes before the Supreme Court, for the first time in Israeli history, convenes its entire 15-judge bench on Sept. 12 to hear an appeal against an amendment that curbs its own powers, passed in July by Netanyahu's coalition.

Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition launched a campaign in January to overhaul the country's justice system, sparking unprecedented protests, bruising the economy and stirring concern for Israel's democratic health.

Netanyahu has since said some of the measures in the original plan have been scrapped and that he would seek a broad consensus on any new judicial reforms, which he says are aimed at restoring balance between the branches of government.

His Likud party denied on Monday reports in Israeli media that Netanyahu had agreed to soften the July 24 law that limited some Supreme Court power to rule against the executive, freeze any further judicial legislation for 18 months and scrap changes to the makeup of the committee that selects judges.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the driving force behind the judicial overhaul, dismissed the reports as "trial balloons", in an interview to Army Radio and said it would be wrong for the Supreme Court to intervene in the judicial legislation.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a series of appeals this month by lawmakers and watchdogs that challenge some of the government's judicial measures.



Trump to Undergo 1st Physical Examination of his Second Term

US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025.  EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL
US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025. EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL
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Trump to Undergo 1st Physical Examination of his Second Term

US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025.  EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL
US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025. EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL

Donald Trump, the oldest person to assume the US presidency, is set to undergo his first physical examination of his second term on Friday.
Trump, who turns 79 in June, is known for his love of fast food but often talks about his robust physical and mental health.
"I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!" Trump wrote in a post on the Truth Social platform on Monday, announcing the planned exam.
The White House did not respond to queries about the exam and what would be included, Reuters reported.
The physical could offer the first clear look at Trump's condition since his ear was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July. His campaign released a report by Ronny Jackson, Trump's former White House doctor, saying the injuries were superficial.
The White House typically determines what data will be released from a president's health exam. Trump is not compelled to release any information, and there is no template for the presidential exam. Trump released only limited information about his health during his presidential campaigns.
During the 2024 election, Trump drew sharp contrasts with his predecessor, Joe Biden, now 82, claiming he was younger and fitter.
A White House doctor said in 2018 when Trump was serving his first term that he was in overall excellent health but needed to shed weight and start a daily exercise routine.
Trump included a cognitive exam, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, as part of his physical during his first term, and his doctor later said he scored 30 out of 30.
Biden released detailed summaries of his physical exams while in office, but several books published in recent months have raised questions about his mental acuity in his final months in the White House.
The mental ability and age of both Biden and Trump were in focus during last year's election campaign, especially after Biden's disastrous performance in a debate with Trump in June, and Trump's increasingly rambling speeches at rallies.