Jewish Democrats issue letter to Israeli officials urging for halt to judicial reform package

A letter to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials has been issued by a group of Jewish Democratic lawmakers, urging the Israeli government to stop the passage of a controversial judicial reform package in its current form, Jewish Insider reported.

The letter, signed by 16 Jewish Democratic House members and dated 9 March, emphasises their commitment to Israel and their support for the country's 'democratic institutions' of checks and balances.

"We write to you as Jewish Members of the US Congress to express our profound concern about proposed changes to Israel’s governing institutions and legal system that we fear could undermine Israeli democracy and the civil rights and religious freedoms it protects," the letter, obtained by Jewish Insider, reads.

"The overhaul being proposed that passed on first reading appears to imbue the Knesset with supreme power, unchecked by the Supreme Court. If carried out to their fullest extent, these changes could fundamentally alter the democratic character of the State of Israel," it reads.

"A tenet of modern democracies is protections for those citizens with minority status, whether political, ethnic, or religious. We are deeply concerned about the impact these changes would have on people and groups not in the majority, including Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox and Reconstructionist Jewish populations in Israel," it continues.

The lawmakers go on to emphasise the mutually beneficial relationship between Israel and the United States and the "shared values" between the two.

The signatories of the letter range from progressive Democratic members of the House to more political central members.