11 July 2023; MEMO: "Things are going off the rails," in Israel, outgoing US Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Tom Nides, said yesterday in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Nides will be stepping down from his post after nearly two years as Washington's envoy. Before departing, he sent a parting message about Israel, where he expressed concerns over the planned judicial overhaul and its divisive impact.
Nides revealed that he had spoken to Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and urged him to slow down the planned judicial overhaul. He spoke about the fact that, historically, the US had a policy of not interfering in Israel's domestic affairs, but divisions and concerns over the judicial overhaul have made it impossible to stay on the side-lines.
Nides came under criticism earlier this year for remarks about the far-right government led by Netanyahu. Senior members of the Israeli government told him to refrain from meddling in Israel's internal affairs.
"I think most Israelis want the United States to be in their business," Nides told the Journal. "With that, sometimes comes a modicum of a price, which is articulating when we think things are going off the rails."
The main concern for Nides is how Israel will be perceived if the controversial bill is rushed through. "Rushing things through that ultimately could have huge implications, at least perception-wise, about what makes Israel great," is a primary concern for the administration of Joe Biden, Nides said.
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Nides clarified his remark by adding that what made "Israel great" are its democratic institutions, which US officials often tout when defending the apartheid state in international forums.
The controversial bill to overhaul Israel's judiciary advanced through the first of three hearings in the Knesset — parliament — yesterday. One of the main contentions about the bill is that limitations will be imposed on the power of the judiciary to hold elected members of the Knesset in check through the "reasonableness" test. The principal grants power to the judiciary to throw out legislation that judges consider to be unreasonable.
Under Israel's unicameral system, wherein there is only one parliamentary chamber, no constitutional restraint on government policy will remain if the bill becomes law. Such an eventuality is likely to be disastrous for advocates of Israel in the West, who have long championed the idea that the apartheid state is a democracy.
