Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu in icy exchange over Israel’s controversial judicial reforms
US President Joe Biden has openly criticised Israel’s controversial judicial reforms and told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “walk away” from them.
Speaking to reporters in the US, before boarding Air Force One, he addressed the recent crisis on the streets of Israel over the move that would give the government greater control over Supreme Court appointments.
“Like many strong supporters of Israel, I’m very concerned. And I’m concerned that they get this straight. They cannot continue down this road. And I’ve sort of made that clear,” he said.
“Hopefully the prime minister will act in a way that he can try to work out some genuine compromise, but that remains to be seen.”
Asked if Mr Netanyahu would be visiting The White House soon, Mr Biden replied sharply: “No. Not in the near term.”
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More clashes and protests in Israel
The US president and Israeli prime minister have spoken privately over the phone to discuss the crisis, but this was the first time Mr Biden was openly critical of the Israeli leader.
Responding to the stinging remarks by a close ally, Mr Netanyahu pushed back, saying he would not be pressured by foreign governments.
He said Israel is sovereign and “makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends”.
“I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his long-standing commitment to Israel,” said Mr Netanyahu.
“The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us.”
Despite the brave face, Mr Biden’s remarks will hurt Mr Netanyahu.
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It’s traditional for Israeli prime ministers to receive an invitation to The White House early into their term of office, and Israeli leaders see it as a coming-of-age moment.
Three months into his latest stint as prime minister, Mr Netanyahu is yet to receive an invitation and is unlikely to in the near future.
The White House’s rebuke is in contrast to the British government, which remained largely silent as the demonstrations brought Israel to a standstill on Monday.
Other western nations, notably Germany, have spoken out against the proposed reforms.
Faced with few alternatives, Netanyahu called a brief halt to the reforms on Monday evening.
It has opened a window for discussions between the government and opposition parties and already the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has begun convening the various sides in an attempt to find a compromise.
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The protest movement, which has grown dramatically over the past three months, is determined to keep pressure on the government and remains deeply suspicious of Mr Netanyahu’s intentions.
It remains to be seen whether pressure from The White House will force Mr Netanyahu to either scrap or water down the reforms, but the Israeli leader has remained defiant, even as senior politicians warned it could lead to civil war in the country.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.
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Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.
But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.
“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.
Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.
“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”
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Donald Trump in court on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.
Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.
“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.
“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.
Michael Cohen (right) was Donald Trump’s fixer. Pic: AP
Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.
He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.
Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.
Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took second place following his switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old’s estimated total earnings were around $260m (£205m) – an all-time high for a football player.
Jon Rahm came in second. Pic: Jeff Faughender/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
His on-field earnings amounted to $200m (£158m) while off-field he earned $60m (£47m) thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.
Rahm earned $218m (£172m) and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi. Pic: David Kirouac/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Third on the list is record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who switched to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, which helped the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m (£107m).
The 36-year-old earned $65m (£51m) in on-field earnings but $70m (£55m) off it from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James came in fourth at $128m (£101m), while fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made fifth with $111m (£88m).
France football captain Kylian Mbappe dropped down to sixth with $110m (£87m).
Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh with $108m (£85m), despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.
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French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth on the list with $106m (£84m), followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with $102m (£80m).
Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list, in 10th place with $101m (£80m), thanks to the signing bonus negotiated into his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.
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