Foreign Minister Eli Cohen verbally attacked United States Vice President Kamala Harris in a KAN Reshet B interview on Wednesday morning.
Cohen said that the vice president “would not be able to quote from a single clause from the judicial reform” after Harris said Israel’s judiciary must remain independent, referencing the government’s controversial judicial reform.
“I don’t know if she read the bills or not, I would guess not,” Cohen continued.
Kamla Harris: Israeli judiciary must remain independent
Harris made the comments at a Tuesday evening reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding hosted by the country’s embassy in Washington.
“America will continue to stand for the values that have been the bedrock of the US-Israel relationship, which includes continuing to strengthen our democracies, which as the [Israeli] ambassador has said, are both built on strong institutions, checks and balances, and I’ll add: an independent judiciary,” Harris said.
Her remarks on the judiciary drew applause.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen at a press conference, at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, on January 25, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Israel’s judicial reform causes tension with United States
Weeks of unprecedented street demonstrations followed Netanyahu’s proposed package of reforms to the High Court of Justice, which members of his coalition accuse of overreach and elitism.
Under pressure at home and abroad, including from US President Joe Biden’s administration, Netanyahu has delayed the overhaul to try to negotiate a consensus with the political opposition.
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides reaffirmed that Harris is a “strong supporter of Israel” in comments made to N12 following Cohen’s attack on the vice president.
“I have respect for Cohen, but the vice president said things the administration says on every opportunity regarding our shared values and policies,” Nides said.
Later on Wednesday, Israel’s foreign minister tweeted that he has “great respect for Kamala Harris,” but that the judicial reform is an “internal Israeli issue that is in its negotiation stage.
יש לי הערכה רבה לבעלת בריתנו ארה״ב ולסגנית הנשיא האריס ידידה גדולה של ישראל. הרפורמה המשפטית היא נושא פנים ישראלי הנמצא בתהליך גיבוש והידברות, מדינת ישראל תמשיך להיות דמוקרטית וליברלית כפי שתמיד הייתה.
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) June 7, 2023
“The State of Israel will continue to be democratic and liberal as it has always been,” Cohen stressed.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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