The 56th season premiere of the American investigative program "60 Minutes" on CBS network focused last night (between Sunday and Monday) on the legal reform in Israel. As part of the program, an interview with the Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, took place: "The Supreme Court is above the government and the will of the people; I want to balance that."
Lesley Stahl, the program's correspondent, attended the protests in Kaplan and interviewed the Minister of Justice. During the interview, Levin said, "Even in a democracy, you can't have a situation where the elected government, with a majority in parliament, can't pass any legislation or do anything because there are protests, because there are people who oppose it." According to him, "The situation in Israel is that the Supreme Court is above the government, it's above parliament, it's even above the will of the people. What I want to do is balance that."
Stahl told Levin that he is part of the most right-wing government Israel has ever had. In response, he said, "I am proud to be part of this government, and I believe this is what the Israelis wanted. The vast majority of my parliamentary colleagues who support this government are committed to democratic and liberal principles."
When Levin was asked if he is not concerned that Israel is at risk due to the refusal of reserve soldiers, he responds, "What is the price of democracy? What do you suggest I do? Shall we tell Israeli citizens, 'Okay, don't bother voting. No need for elections,' and just go to those former militarists and ask them what we are allowed to do?"
I suggest to the Iranian regime not to threaten us
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for the United States overnight (Saturday to Sunday) for his first visit since entering his current term. Netanyahu will meet with a number of businesspeople in California, including Elon Musk, and then continue to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he will meet with President Joe Biden.
Before his departure, Netanyahu said, "I am now leaving for the UN General Assembly. There, I will represent Israel to the nations of the world. In these days, I will also meet with many world leaders, starting with President Biden. With him, I will discuss, among other things, and foremost, Iran and the expansion of the circle of peace.
"Today, the world sees, and I will certainly emphasize this, that Iran is violating all its commitments. That it lies brazenly, that it intends both to develop nuclear weapons and to continue its aggression in the region. We will confront both of these things together. I heard the threats that came from one of the Iranian regime's officials today. I suggest to him not to threaten us. He needs to know, and this regime needs to know, that we will respond forcefully to any attack on our people and our citizens.
"At the beginning of this trip, I will visit California. I intend to meet there with a person who is currently leading the most dramatic development in human technology in the modern era, and perhaps overall, Elon Musk. I will discuss with him the topic of artificial intelligence, and I will also work to encourage him to invest in Israel in the coming years. This individual greatly influences the path that will change the face of humanity and will also change the face of the State of Israel. Israel needs to be a leader in the field of artificial intelligence. Just as we made it a leading factor in the subject of cyber, we will do the same in this field as well."
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The article will be broadcast on Thursday (21/9) on Cellcom TV with a Hebrew translation.