Jewish groups in the US have condemned the Israeli parliament’s vote to limit the power of the judiciary as a threat to democracy and warned that it could damage relations with American Jews. But the White House limited its criticism to calling the outcome “unfortunate” in a sign the Biden administration is unlikely to impose any real costs on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for defying the president’s calls to delay the vote and reach a compromise with his opponents.
After seven months of fierce debate, the Israeli government on Monday voted to limit the court’s ability to overturn laws. The changes have been denounced by critics as a transparent power grab that will erode democratic norms and aid Netanyahu’s fight against graft charges, which he denies.
