| A day after Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay in efforts to weaken Israel’s judiciary, his government and the opposition in Parliament began the first direct negotiations to reach a compromise since the plan was introduced. Emotions subsided after weeks of unrest. |
| Four government negotiators and eight opposition counterparts held a meeting hosted by Israel’s figurehead president, Isaac Herzog. Participants said the meeting was mainly procedural. But it was the first face-to-face negotiation between lawmakers from the two sides on a dispute that has divided Israeli society more bitterly than any in recent memory. |
| The U.S. ambassador to Israel said that President Biden would invite Netanyahu to Washington and grant him a long-sought meeting in the coming months. The Biden administration had avoided extending such an invitation in recent weeks, as officials grew increasingly concerned about the plan. |
| But even though the Biden administration signaled its support for the delay, it did not suggest a complete reset in relations. The U.S. ambassador said that no date had been fixed, leaving open the possibility of a delay if Netanyahu pushes ahead with the plan. |
| Global democracy: Netanyahu’s proposal is overshadowing a speech Biden plans to give today at the White House-led Summit for Democracy. The crisis is testing the U.S. stance on autocratic practices; opponents have called Israel’s proposal anti-democratic. |
| Other fears: Netanyahu promised Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister for national security, that he would consider creating a national guard under his control. Critics say that such a move would effectively place a paramilitary body under the control of a man convicted of racist incitement and support for a terrorist group. |
