White House blasts Israel for passing sweeping judicial changes with 'the slimmest possible majority'

• The White House expressed concern after Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition jammed through judicial reforms.

• Biden has made it repeatedly clear that he wants Israel to reach a consensus on an issue that has led to an uproar.

• The Netanyahu-backed reforms passed after a three-month pause failed to yield a compromise.

The White House on Monday condemned Israel parliament for passing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's preferred sweeping judicial reforms that sparked protests throughout the country, a further sign of how President Joe Biden is trying to exert his own influence from afar.

"It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Jean-Pierre stressed that Biden remains a "lifelong friend of Israel," but it made it clear that the White House is not backing down from its months of nudging Netanyahu to cool his push for reforms amid public outrage.

"As a lifelong friend of Israel, President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his views that major changes in a democracy to be enduring must have as broad a consensus as possible," she said in the statement.

The White House's newest statement won't come as a surprise. Biden reiterated his views to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman ahead of the vote.

Netanyahu's coalition unanimously passed the reforms that would limit the Supreme Court's authority after the opposition parties walked out in protest. Protestors tried to block roads leading to parliament in a final vein attempt before the vote took place.

Israel's justice minister Yariv Levin and other right-wing leaders have viewed the proposal as a necessary way to rein in judges that they view as having asserted too much power. While critics have pointed out that Netanyahu is pursuing a way to weaken Israel's judiciary at the same time he faces an ongoing corruption trial. 

The fierce reaction to Netanyahu's plan has led to an increasingly tumultuous moment. According to The Times, more than 10,000 military reservists are threatening to resign. Israel's largest labor union is considering a call for a national strike.

Netanyahu previously paused his push for an overhaul for three months after an earlier public outcry. He and the opposition were unable to reach a deal, leading to Monday's vote.

The tensions between Biden and Netanyahu come at a time when progressive lawmakers are increasingly skeptical over Israel's rightward push. The disagreements over how to approach the US ally served as a backdrop to Israeli President Isaac Herzog's address to Congress, which a handful of Democratic lawmakers opted to boycott.

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