Protesters shout slogans outside Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem amid ongoing demonstrations and calls for a general strike against the hard-right government’s controversial push to overhaul the justice system, on March 27, 2023. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)
Hazem Bader | Afp | Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday agreed to suspend a planned judiciary reform until the next parliament session after nationwide protests paralyzed the country.
Netanyahu agreed with one of his hard-right coalition partners, Itamar Ben-Gvir, that the judiciary overhaul bill would be given an extension to the next session to pass the reform through negotiations, NBC reported. This will follow the Passover recess in April.
“I am taking the time out for dialogue,” Netanyahu said Monday evening at a press conference, according to a Sky News translation. He added that the delay came from a desire to reach a broad consensus on the reforms.
As part of the agreement, a National Guard will be set up under Ben-Gvir’s Ministry of National Security.
The latest development indicates Netanyahu has not yet given up on the contentious reform bill, despite huge protests and widespread strikes.
Netanyahu’s administration survived a no-confidence vote early on Monday, following escalating demonstrations and strike action stoked by the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who objected to the planned measures.
The prime minister — who is the longest-serving in Israel’s history — was expected to announce a pause to the legislation on Monday, but the delivery of his statement was postponed three times, according to the Jerusalem Post. Far-right members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition reportedly threatened to leave his government if he paused the legislation, hence the concessions like giving Ben-Gvir’s ministry authority over the National Guard.
Local news on Monday estimated that 600,000 people took to the streets to protest the…
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