Rep. Elise Stefanik Slams Biden’s ‘Hostile,’ ‘Shameful’ Comments Toward Israel

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) slammed Democrat President Joe Biden’s “hostile comments” toward “our ally Israel,” as the president continues to denigrate the Jewish State in light of the country’s proposed judicial reforms.

In a Thursday statement, Stefanik called out the president’s “shameful” attack on Israel after he refused to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in protest of the Israeli government’s ongoing judicial reforms, saying Israel “cannot continue down this road and I thought I made that clear,” adding that the country’s leader would not be invited “in the near term.”

“President Biden’s hostile comments toward our ally Israel are shameful,” Stefanik said. 

She then pointed to the current administration’s hypocrisy in targeting Israel.

“Democracies around the world often have robust debates over policy issues, yet Israel is the only target of Biden’s hostility, criticism, and condemnation,” she noted.

According to Stefanik, the president’s team should be bolstering its relationship with Israel instead.

“At a time when our foreign adversaries like Iran are emboldened because of Joe Biden’s weakness on the world stage, the Biden Administration should focus on strengthening our support for Israel to stand up to these shared threats,” she said.

The congresswoman concluded by expressing her pride in “always stand[ing] with our ally Israel,” while calling on President Biden to “do the same.”

The remarks come as the Biden administration continues to flagrantly intervene in Israel’s domestic politics. 

While the White House says it is helping protect Israel’s democracy, critics claim Biden is attempting to oust Netanyahu.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration canceled the travel authorization of a government scientist on Tuesday who was to have traveled to Israel to participate in a conference in Israel, the latest sign of a creeping U.S. boycott.

A little sad today…was supposed to be traveling to Israel for some technical and public talks. But my travel authorization was revoked yesterday 😔 I'm hoping I'll be able to visit in the future!

— Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her/hers) (@astraughnomer) March 28, 2023

Earlier this week, President Biden reneged on a promise by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides that the Israeli prime minister would be invited to the White House after pausing judicial reforms.

In turn, Netanyahu declared that “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.”

In response to Biden’s remarks, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) slammed Biden for saying he would not invite Netanyahu to the White House and for meddling with Israel’s internal affairs.

Utterly disgraceful. Biden gleefully hosts anti-American radicals like Lula, while shunning close American allies like Netanyahu.

It's clear that Biden and his officials are high from funding what they believe to be successful anti-government protests in Israel. https://t.co/hCBNABkDSi

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 29, 2023

Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) called on Biden to invite Netanyahu to the White House for a formal visit, referring to the Israeli prime minister as “one of our closest partners in the world.”

In addition, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blasted Biden for interfering in Israeli domestic politics, saying the U.S. would never tolerate the same.

Israel’s current government seeks to pass judicial reform legislation, which would entail a series of changes to its judicial system and the balance of powers within the country.

The Israeli judiciary, which has become increasingly powerful in recent decades, currently operates without functional checks and balances, as Israeli judges are selected by a commission largely composed of judges and lawyers.

Critics claim the process produces ideological conformity, allowing the secular elite to entrench judicial power.

Netanyahu’s legislation increases the power of the legislature relative to the judicial branch in order to bring into balance the three branches of government.

The proposal would reflect the process in the United States and several other democracies, in which judges would be approved by democratically elected representatives, in the hope of increasing their diversity.