Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s US trip began on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport, with a focus on the protests against judicial reform that have dogged his government since his justice minister unveiled the planned overhaul when he returned to power nine months ago.
Speaking to reporters before boarding his plane hours after the end of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, Netanyahu accused the protesters of “joining forces with the PLO and Iran,” which he framed as being against Israel rather than against his government.
His aides quickly realized that their boss had overstepped and worked to soften the statement.
Then Netanyahu took off for San Jose. In the United States for six days, the prime minister sought to leave the internal fight in Israel behind him and present himself as a world leader pursuing loftier goals.
Surprisingly, he largely succeeded.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
