Netanyahu hits back at protesters, claiming: ‘To paint me as some Third World autocrat is ridiculous’

Benjamin Netanyahu has defiantly defended his coalition’s planned overhaul of Israel’s judiciary in an interview given in London over the weekend, just hours before he returned to the chaos unfolding in the Jewish state.

The country is now in uncharted territory, with trade unions demanding nationwide strikes and flights from Ben Gurion airport suspended due to protests over his leadership. Tens of thousands of furious demonstrators took to the streets again on Sunday evening with police using a water cannon on crowds gathered outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem home.

An expected public statement from Netanyahu, aimed at calming tensions, was reportedly postponed on Monday morning.

Less than 48 hours earlier, in an interview with Piers Morgan’s Uncensored for Talk TV, which is due to be aired on Monday evening, an exhausted looking Netanyahu sounded as defiant as ever, telling Morgan: “In the last 10 years Israel’s judiciary has gone from being independent to all-powerful. Democracy means every branch of government balances the other. Having the judges not select each other, which is what this bill is about, does not weaken democracy, it strengthens it. In all other democracies, with the exception of the UK, judges to not choose themselves.”

Watch the full interview here

“I made Israel among the most liberal countries on the planet. I have always espoused a liberal position and I espouse it now. To try to paint me as some Third World autocrat is ridiculous. I am a classic democrat and a classic believer in the balance between the three branches of government. That’s what guarantees democracy. That’s been thrown off balance in Israel – we have to bring balance back.”

He added: “Right now you have a situation where 15 unelected members of the supreme court effectively govern Israel. Is that right? Is that democratic? When you vote for a government you want that government to govern. Right now the ability of the government to govern is severely restricted by a Supreme Court with more powers than in any other democracy.”

“I understand the concerns of people who are worried about the future direction of Israel. So am I. And I will not let Israel become less democratic.”

Criticising those taking to the streets, he added: “A lot of people who attend these demonstrations are patriotic Israelis but don’t know the details of the bill.”

Later in the interview Netanyahu revealed he has received unofficial approaches from both sides of the Ukraine-Russia conflict to help stop the conflict. However, he refused to condemn Russia’s invasion outright.

Netanyahu also chose not to distance himself from the public statements of his right-wing finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.