Stephanopoulos clashes with Netanyahu on Israel's judicial reforms: Why aren't you taking Biden's 'advice'?

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ABC's George Stephanopoulos presses Netanyahu on Israel's judicial reforms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressed by ABC's George Stephanopoulos on why he didn't take President Biden's advice with regard to his judicial reform bill. 

ABC's George Stephanopoulos clashed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday over the passing of his judicial reform bill as the ABC host wondered why he wasn't taking President Biden's "advice."

As Netanyahu defended the judicial reform that has caused massive protests inside his country, Stephanopoulos balked and suggested he should heed Biden's recent call to slow down and first win a "consensus" on the issue.

"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?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"Well, I did. I mean, this has been as slow as you can go. I’ve been here in government — in this government for seven months and I didn't proceed with anything until, as I say, this minor correction which, by the way, many of the opposition leaders supported just before the election," Netanyahu responded. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined "Good Morning America" on Thursday.

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He added that he held off for three months and took concerns seriously. 

"So, I pressed the pause button for three months, tried 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 to all democracies and I'm still trying, 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 has broad acceptance in the public and I think it’s possible," he continued.

Israel's parliament passed Netanyahu's judicial reform bill on Monday.

Stephanopoulos also asked about why Netanyahu decided to move forward with the bill now after putting it on hold in March.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves 10 Downing Street in London following brief talks with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on March 24, 2023. (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)

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"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 rights of the minority, and that's achieved by the balance between the three branches of government. That's been taken off the rails in Israel in the last 20 years because the— we have the most activist judicial court on the planet," Netanyahu responded.

Netanyahu added that he felt more confident now because they're "prepared to move without them" and said he hoped the opposition would "show responsibility and come to the middle."

He offered to negotiate the reforms with the opposition through November during a televised event on Monday and called for "peace and mutual respect" amid the ongoing protests. 

Protesters wave flags as thousands of Israelis attend a rally against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul plan in Jerusalem on March 27, 2023. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

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"Today, we carried out a necessary democratic step, one designed to restore a measure of balance between the authorities, what we had here for 50 years. We passed the amendment to the reasonableness standard so that the elected government will be able to lead policy according to the will of the majority of the citizens of the state," Netanyahu said Monday night.  

"In no way is carrying out the will of the voter ‘the end of democracy,’" Netanyahu said, rejecting the categorization by opposition leader Yair Lapid. "It is the essence of democracy. Due to the importance of the issue, the coalition worked throughout to reach consensus with the opposition. This was not a given."

Critics of the legislation say it would feed corruption and lean toward authoritarianism by preventing the country’s highest court from quashing the appointment of corrupt officials and allowing the ruling coalition to expunge individuals who disagree with its policies. However, those in favor of the bill say it will rein in the judiciary, arguing the reasonableness standard is too vague and allows the courts to reject the decisions of election officials based on political grounds. 

Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

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