NBC News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a lengthy interview with Meet the Press on Sunday to evade criticism of his proposed judicial reforms, deflect from the staunch conservatism of his government, and diminish the perception that his public approval has tanked—despite multiple polls indicating otherwise.
Appearing via satellite from Jerusalem, Netanyahu acknowledged his decision late last month to delay an overhaul of the Israeli judiciary after mass protests threatened to send its military into upheaval. (The proposed changes could have potential political benefits for Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption.) However, despite acknowledging the state of a “divided country,” the embattled prime minister tried to paint it as a mere caveat of an unpopular policy decision.
“There are always these contentious polls,” he said. “We just had a poll three months ago, and it’s called an election. And in fact, what has happened in the last three months is that overwhelmingly, not only the parties that won, but right now the broad base of the Israeli public believes that we have to have these corrections in the judicial system.”