Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is set to head to Israel next week—from Feb. 23 to the 25—as the country is in uproar over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the judiciary. Schumer is making the trip out for meetings with Netanyahu and other top officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and Tom Nides, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Israel’s Foreign Ministry told Axios. Congressional Democrats have become worried about what Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul—which would seriously restrict the Israeli Supreme Court’s powers—means for the country’s democracy and for U.S. relations. The plan has sparked impassioned debate from Israeli lawmakers and prompted massive protests, with over 100,000 demonstrators assembling outside of parliament earlier this week.
