As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be visiting New York City next week, thousands of Israeli academics and artists have pleaded with the US president and UN chief to avoid him.
In a recent open letter, more than 3,500 people demanded that President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General António Guterres not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or invite him to speak at the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders.
Among the signatories were well-known Israeli artists Tamar Getter and writer David Grossman.
The open letter stated that Netanyahu “incites citizens against one another, imperils the nation’s security and economy, and turns his back on the historical conflict that rips Israel asunder – the forceful domination of the Palestinian people.”
They claimed that Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition “has worked tirelessly from the outset of establishing his extreme right-wing government to undermine the gatekeepers of Israel’s democracy, weaken the Supreme Court, neutralize the media, and destroy the few checks and balances safeguarding the health of our nation.”
The letter emphasizes the division between the far-right Israeli government and some sections of its populace.
According to Netanyahu’s office, the prime minister will visit California’s high-tech industry leaders next week before traveling to New York to give a UN speech.
A meeting with Biden at the White House is not on Netanyahu’s current public schedule. Biden stated earlier this year that he had no plans to meet with Netanyahu “soon.”
Israel’s critical ties with the US, its main supporter, have deteriorated as a result of the rightward turn under Netanyahu’s extremist regime, which took office late last year.
The Israeli prime minister is traveling to the US at a time when one of its worst domestic crises in history has been sparked by his plan to reform the judicial system.
Once more, Netanyahu’s purported plan for judicial reform was in the spotlight. Washington has been extremely critical of Netanyahu’s push for the highly contentious judicial reform.
The plan’s supporters claim that it contributes to redistributing the power between the political and judicial branches. Netanyahu is accused of attempting a power grab by his opponents, though. According to them, the premier is also attempting to use the scheme to overturn potential judgments against him. The premier is on trial for multiple counts of corruption.
The highly divisive plan for a judicial overhaul put forth by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration has been the main target of the anti-regime protesters.
Academics, creatives, businesspeople, and even military reservists in Rael have spoken out against the divisive reform.
When Israel’s parliament passed its first piece of legislation in July, Biden voiced his concerns and referred to the result as “unfortunate.” “On Tuesday, September 12, Israel’s supreme court convened its entire 15-judge bench for the first time in its history to hear an appeal against that bill.
The Israeli regime’s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the US and the majority of the international community view as a major impediment to peace with the Palestinians, has also drawn increased ire from the Biden administration.
