King Charles said to have praised Herzog for overhaul mediation
The President reportedly told the UK monarch Israel is a ‘vibrant democracy’ during the event that honoured attending foreign heads of state.
As part of the coronation events of Britain’s King Charles III in London, the newly crowned monarch spoke with President Isaac Herzog on Friday about the Israeli government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan and commended him on his efforts to mediate a compromise with the opposition, Hebrew media reported.
Herzog and his wife Michal were also said to have met with several world leaders during a reception at Buckingham Palace in honour of the heads of state and royals who flew in for the occasion — including shaking hands with the leaders of Qatar and Oman, which don’t have formal diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
According to the Ynet news site, Charles identified Herzog in the crowd and personally arranged for him and his wife to be brought to the front of the line, speaking with them about the situation in Israel and the Middle East.
When the topic of the overhaul came up, Herzog reportedly told the king that the public debate in Israel shows the country “is a strong and vibrant democracy.”
Charles praised Herzog for initiating the talks on a potential compromise, and said he considered this to be a very important effort, Channel 13 reported.
Michal Herzog reportedly noted that her cousins had been good friends with Charles’ former cello teacher, a Jewish woman called Naomi, to which the monarch replied: “Naomi was a wonderful teacher.”
It was Herzog’s third meeting with Charles since becoming president in 2021 — the first of which was in London shortly after taking office, and the second at last year’s funeral of Charles’ mother and predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II.
During the reception, the Herzogs also met US First Lady Jill Biden and had a “warm and hearty” conversation, Ynet reported.
Michal Herzog was said to have had a long conversation with Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Charles wasn’t the only one to discuss the judicial overhaul with Herzog. Hebrew media said that French President Emmanuel Macron also raised the matter during a long talk with the Herzogs, and that German President Frank Walter-Steinmeier did so as well.
The government’s planned judicial overhaul has sparked widespread opposition across Israel, with senior legal, security and economic figures warning the move will undermine democracy by removing the system of checks and balances, and as such will harm the country’s security and economy. Proponents argue they are defending democracy by reining in an activist court.
Herzog was also said to have warm talks with Prince William, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Bahrain’s crown prince, the president of the United Arab Emirates and the princess of Morocco.
Hours after the coronation itself on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a statement sending “wholehearted congratulations” from him and his wife Sara to King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, adding: “May it mark the further strengthening of the deep bond between our two nations.”
Along with the entire people of Israel, my wife Sara and I send our wholehearted congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their historic coronation.
May it mark the further strengthening of the deep bond between our two nations. pic.twitter.com/L2Jh28OYdE
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 6, 2023
Charles immediately became king when Queen Elizabeth died aged 96 on September 8 last year, ending her record-breaking 70-year reign after a year of declining health. He also took over as head of state of 14 Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Times of Israel
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