Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Talks With Senior U.S. Officials

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has begun talks with senior U.S. officials with regard to Israel’s highly contested judicial reform and assured them that the legislation will be reached “through dialogue and negotiations.”

Cohen spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Israel’s biggest supporters in Congress on Wednesday, and is expected to talk with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday.

In his talk with Graham, Cohen reportedly stressed the need for “broad national consensus. We are facing a great challenge of restoring public trust in Israeli democracy.”

He also noted that “Israel should work together with the U.S. to clarify the issues over which the two countries disagree. We need to work together to strengthen our ties that are based on shared values and interests. It is vital on Israel’s part to expand the Abraham Accords.” The foreign minister stressed that Israel remained “a strong democracy and the demonstrations are the very proof of that.”

Cohen expressed hope that an agreement on judicial reform would be reached in the near future.