Dhe German ambassador to Israel’s participation in a Supreme Court hearing on judicial reform apparently caused irritation among the Israeli government. However, the Foreign Office in Berlin has not yet wanted to confirm an official complaint that Israel had lodged, according to reports from various news agencies, citing an unnamed Israeli government representative.
On Tuesday last week, Ambassador Seibert attended a meeting of the Israeli Supreme Court as a spectator. A hearing on the right-wing conservative government’s controversial judicial reform took place there.
“I think something important is happening here for Israeli democracy,” Seibert said at the hearing in a video published on the online service X, formerly Twitter. “As friends of Israel, we look to the Supreme Court with great interest. I wanted to see that.”
Foreign Office: Attending public meetings is “common practice”
The Foreign Office emphasized that following relevant domestic political developments in the host country is “a central task of diplomats”. Attending a public session of the Supreme Court in a friendly state, as did Ambassador Seibert in Israel, is “an excellent example of this common practice.”
A spokesman added to journalists in Berlin that it was also “quite normal” for foreign diplomats in Germany to be “observant” at Bundestag meetings. A complaint about Ambassador Seibert’s behavior was not received by the Foreign Office either officially or unofficially.
The Israeli parliament passed a law under consideration at the hearing to restrict the powers of the judiciary in July with a narrow majority despite mass protests. According to critics, the reform undermines the judiciary as an important pillar of Israeli democracy.
The ultra-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, considers the changes to the law to be necessary in order to readjust the balance of power between parliament and the judiciary. There have been mass protests against the reform for over six months.
#Irritation #Seiberts #visit #Supreme #Court #meeting