Washington — The U.S. State Department said that Washington will not slash military aid to Israel over the government's judicial overhaul, despite President Joe Biden's opposition to the unilateral steps to push the legislation through parliament. 

The Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel, responded to Al-Quds' question at a press briefing. "There’s not going to be any cut or stoppage of military aid, and that is because our commitment to Israel and our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad," he said. 

"And the President – and you saw the White House be very clear about this over the past couple of days – has expressed his views in this scenario, that major changes in a democracy need to be enduring, they need to have as broad consensus as possible.  We also understand that talks are ongoing and likely to continue over the coming weeks and months to forge a broader compromise," Patel said.

"We also will continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts and Israeli officials to strengthen the bond between the United States and Israel and to advance our shared democratic values, cooperating on a full range of issues while working through our differences and concerns, like our – most relationships where we have bilateral relations with a country," he added.

Patel's remarks came a day after the Knesset voted to abolish the "reasonableness standard," limiting the Supreme Court's oversight on government decisions and appointments. The law was passed against the backdrop of mass demonstrations across the country, increasing insubordination from military reservists, and a boycott of the parliamentary session from the opposition parties. 

They also came a week after U.S. ambassadors to Israel, Dan Kurtzer and Martin Indyk, called on Washington to adopt a new approach to the relationship. "Aid provides the U.S. with no leverage or influence over Israel decisions to use force; because we sit quietly while Israel pursues policies we oppose, we are seen as 'enablers' of Israel's occupation," they told the New York Times. 

The United States provides Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid annually.

President Joe Biden has indicated that the judicial reform could impact the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel, however, the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reportedly reassured his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant by phone on Tuesday that the opposition to the government's conduct would not impact the aid.