We, the undesigned, demand that the elected leaders of the United States, together with the leaders of the American Jewish community, stand in solidarity with Israel as it faces a potentially nuclear Iran and ongoing terror attacks from the Palestinians, and cease ill-informed attacks on Israel’s ongoing judicial reforms.

We have different views on these reforms, but many of them parallel existing practice within the United States and all are compatible with democracy. The U.S. Constitution even allows Congress to eliminate most of the federal judiciary, and President Joe Biden himself has considered “packing” the Supreme Court.

There is room for criticism and debate, and good friends can disagree, even on fundamental issues. But the attacks have gone too far. They echo the worst claims of Israel’s enemies in the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” (BDS) movement — an antisemitic effort to isolate Israel, as the White House is now doing.

It is a slander against the Jewish state to claim that its government is mounting a “coup” because its newly-elected legislature is engaged in the democratic process of lawmaking. Such claims — even when made by Israelis for domestic political reasons — undermine support for Israel from abroad, jeopardizing its security.

The close alliance between the U.S. and Israel is based on shared interests and shared values. American leaders undermine that alliance, and strengthen our common adversaries, when they allow differences of opinion to disrupt basic decorum, such as inviting the elected leader of Israel to visit the White House.

It is appropriate to support Israel as it begins a process of negotiations between the government and the opposition — not to continue condemning the elected government, or to back protests that have undermined the military readiness of a key U.S. ally, with the short-sighted encouragement of the White House.

We urge fellow members of the Jewish community to educate themselves about the proposed reforms before joining in condemnations of Israel.

(For an example of a balanced, detailed approach: https://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/israel-zionism/2023/03/israels-judicial-reckoning/)

And we urge President Joe Biden to welcome Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, as promised by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, without preconditions.