demonstrations
The proposals have triggered large demonstrations against what protesters see as an undermining of judicial independence.
Briefing reporters ahead of the visit, Barbara Leaf, the State Department’s top official for the Middle East, said, “It is clearly a measure of the vibrancy of democracy that it has been challenged so clearly across all sections of Israeli society.” ” He said Blinken would hear from people inside and outside government on reforms.
Leaf said the visit would also build on earlier efforts to restore relations between Israel and Arab countries through the Negev Forum, which has included areas such as economic cooperation and tourism, but excluded the Palestinians. Is.
Russia’s 11-month-old war in Ukraine will also be on the agenda. Ukraine, which has received large amounts of military equipment from the United States and Europe, has in vain pressured Israel to provide systems to shoot down drones, including those supplied by Israel’s regional rival Iran.
While it has condemned the Russian invasion, Israel has limited its aid to humanitarian aid and protective gear, citing a desire for continued cooperation with Moscow on Syria and ensuring the well-being of Russia’s Jews.
Diplomats will also discuss US efforts to revive the stalled 2015 accord between the big powers and Iran, opposed by Israel, that lifted international sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.