The cast of the early noughties drama series Gossip Girl are not known for their incisive legislative takes or keen awareness of geo-politics, but that hasn't stopped actor Ed Westwick from weighing in on Israel's judicial reform.
In an instagram comment earlier this week Westwick said: “At the end of the day if the government do something that the majority doesn’t approve and/also harms the minorities (who must be taken care of) then they should (if the democracy works) be voted out of power”.
After months of badgering him online, Israeli influencer (and Ed Westwick super-fan) Danit Greenberg got the response from the actor about Netanyahu’s judicial reforms.
Ed Westwick spoke out against judicial reforms yesterday
Westwick admitted he was “no expert” on the subject, but said that “democracy only works if power is balanced and separate between the judiciary, the executive, and legislative”.
Netanyahu’s reforms – the first of which passed through the Knesset on Monday – will influence this balance, restricting the power of the judiciary.
Ed Westwick’s comments were prompted by Israeli influencer Danit Greenberg, who described his engagement with her as a “historic day”.
Greenberg had asked him in the comment section of an Instagram post if he was “for or against the reform”. His response came after he asked her to explain both sides of the argument to him.
The influencer is a long-time fan of Westwick, and said that his comments meant “at least one good thing came out of the reforms”.
Danit Greenberg said "You don't forget to pack the most important item" of her Westwick t-shirt
She told the actor she was single, joking with her fans that “we are in a relationship,” and asking how she was supposed to continue with her life as if nothing had happened.
Ed Westwick, best known for his role as Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, grew up in London and has more recently starred in the TV series White Gold.
The first of Netanyahu’s reforms to the Israeli judiciary, the reasonableness bill, passed on Monday. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the legislation a “disaster”.
