Posted on 04/29/23
| News Source: i24
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen says opponents of reform would go to any lengths, including 'compromising Israel's international status'
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez drew criticism from Israel's top diplomat on Saturday over voicing support for the protest movement against the judicial overhaul.
The video message was screened at the main rally in Tel Aviv, attended by over 200,000 people on some estimations. Demonstrators lit flares and brandished Israeli flags and anti-overhaul banners.
“Dear Israeli friends, we as Socialist International have always fought for freedom, equality, justice and democracy. Yet as many of you already know, these are values that we cannot take for granted and that we have to promote and defend on a daily basis,” Sanchez said in English.
“As such, now, as always, the Socialist Internationalist stands in solidarity with the people of Israel. Dear friends, you will always find us in the fight for democracy,” he added.
Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen appeared to have taken exception to the message, though he didn't criticize Sanchez directly.
"For the opponents of the reforms, there are no red lines, including the attempt to compromise Israel's international status," he wrote on Twitter. "No foreign entity will decide for the Israeli public, and I'm sure that Sanchez had no such intention. As someone who supports the reform, there's no doubt in my mind that it will strengthen the democracy and balance out the governance."
Israeli society has been deeply riven over the legislation, which seeks to restrict the remit of the Supreme Court and hand politicians greater influence over the selection of judges.