Netanyahu: Begin My Mentor of Democracy

As reported:

'As long as I'm in power Israel will be democratic'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday defended a controversial amendment to the libel law that would raise the court imposed penalty on libel, saying "no one will tell the media what to write and what to investigate."

"I was raised on the values of [former prime minister Menachem] Begin and [Ze'ev] Jabotinsky... Israel will continue to be a strong democracy," Netanyahu said during the weekly Likud faction meeting in Jerusalem, adding, "Freedom of expression will exist in all parts of society."

Responding to criticism from the opposition that called recent legislation anti-democratic, the prime minister said he will ensure that Israel remains democratic.

"As long as I'm in power, Israel will continue to be a democracy," Army Radio quoted Netanyahu as saying.