Friday Jul 18, 2025
NEWSLETTER
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Israel
    • Israel at War
    • Middle East
    • United States
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Israel
    • Israel at War
    • Middle East
    • United States
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
Home News Israel Politics

US welcomes Netanyahu's decision to delay Israeli judicial overhaul

"When there's an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, am taking a timeout for dialogue," Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address.

by  AP , Reuters and ILH Staff
Published on  03-27-2023 21:41
Last modified: 03-30-2023 13:10
US welcomes Netanyahu's decision to delay Israeli judicial overhaulAFP/Gil Cohen-Magen

Mounted Israeli police stand guard as protesters attend a gathering in Tel Aviv on March 27, 2023 | Photo: AFP/Gil Cohen-Magen

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay in his judicial overhaul plan Monday, saying he wanted "to avoid civil war" by making time to seek a compromise over the contentious package with political opponents. The move was praised by the White House, even though Netanyahu said he might reintroduce the bills when the Knesset comes back from recess in late April.

"We welcome this announcement as an opportunity to create additional time and space for compromise. A compromise is precisely what we have been calling for. And we continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Video: Reuters

The United States remains concerned about the situation in Israel and President Joe Biden has shared his concerns about a proposed judicial overhaul directly with Netanyahu, the White House said on Monday. "We remain concerned by the recent developments," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, calling for compromise.

Netanyahu made the announcement after two days of large protests against the plan.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

"When there's an opportunity to avoid civil war through dialogue, I, as prime minister, am taking a timeout for dialogue," Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address. Striking a more conciliatory tone than in previous speeches, he said he was determined to pass a judicial reform but called for "an attempt to achieve broad consensus."

Immediately after Netanyahu's statement, the head of the country's largest trade union said it would call off a general strike that threatened to grind Israel's economy to a halt. Israel's figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the pause and said it was "time for frank, serious and responsible discussion that will lead urgently to calming spirits and lowering the flames."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that if the judicial overhaul was indeed halted, he was willing to hold dialogue brokered by the president.

Netanyahu spoke after tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside parliament and workers launched a nationwide strike Monday in a dramatic escalation of the mass protest movement aimed at halting his plan.

The chaos shut down much of the country and threatened to paralyze the economy. Departing flights from the main international airport were grounded. Large mall chains and universities closed their doors, and Israel's largest trade union called for its 800,000 members to stop work in health care, transit, banking, and other fields.

Diplomats walked off the job at foreign missions, and local governments were expected to close preschools and cut other services. The main doctors union announced that its members would also strike.

The growing resistance to Netanyahu's plan came hours after tens of thousands of people burst into the streets around the country in a spontaneous show of anger at the prime minister's decision to fire his defense minister after he called for a pause to the overhaul. Chanting "the country is on fire," they lit bonfires on Tel Aviv's main highway, closing the thoroughfare and many others throughout the country for hours.

Demonstrators gathered again Monday outside the Knesset, or parliament, turning the streets surrounding the building and the Supreme Court into a roiling sea of blue-and-white Israeli flags dotted with rainbow Pride banners. Large demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and other cities drew thousands more.

"This is the last chance to stop this move into a dictatorship," said Matityahu Sperber, 68, who joined a stream of people headed to the protest outside the Knesset. "I'm here for the fight to the end."

Netanyahu spent the day in consultations with his aides and coalition partners before announcing the delay. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been one of the strongest proponents of the plan, announced after meeting with the prime minister that he had agreed to a delay of at least a few weeks.

He said Netanyahu had agreed to bring the legislation for a vote when parliament reconvenes for its summer session on April 30 "if no agreements are reached during the recess." Netanyahu gave no timeline for a compromise to be reached in his speech but expressed hope that the nation would heal and that people would enjoy the upcoming Passover holiday.

The speech appeared to calm tensions, but it did not resolve the underlying tensions behind the protests. Even before he spoke, the grassroots anti-government protest movement said a delay was would not be enough.

"A temporary freeze does not suffice, and the nationwide protests will continue to intensify until the law is rejected in the Knesset," organizers said. The plan has plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises.

It has sparked sustained protests that have galvanized nearly all sectors of society, including its military, where reservists have increasingly said publicly that they will not serve a country veering toward autocracy.

Israel's Palestinian citizens, however, have largely sat out the protests. The turmoil has magnified longstanding and intractable differences over Israel's character that have riven it since the country was founded. Protesters insist they are fighting for the soul of the nation, saying the overhaul will remove Israel's system of checks and balances and directly challenge its democratic ideals. The government has labeled them anarchists out to topple democratically elected leaders. Government officials say the plan will restore the balance between the judicial and executive branches and rein in what they see as an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.

At the center of the crisis is Netanyahu himself, Israel's longest-serving leader, and questions about the lengths he may be willing to go to maintain his grip on power, even as he battles charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in three separate affairs. He denies wrongdoing. Some 20,000 right-wing Israelis attended a counter-demonstration, which also took place near parliament and passed without violence."They won't steal the election from us," read a flyer for the event, organized by Religious Zionism party.

Netanyahu's decision to fire the defense minister at a time of heightened security threats in the West Bank and elsewhere appeared to be a last straw for many, including apparently the Histadrut, the country's largest trade union umbrella group, which sat out the monthslong protests before the defense minister's firing.

"Where are we leading our beloved Israel? To the abyss," Arnon Bar-David, the group's head, said in a rousing speech to applause. "Today we are stopping everyone's descent toward the abyss."

Lapid said the crisis was driving Israel to the brink.

"We've never been closer to falling apart. Our national security is at risk, our economy is crumbling, our foreign relations are at their lowest point ever. We don't know what to say to our children about their future in this country," Lapid said. The developments were being watched by the Biden administration, which is closely allied with Israel yet has been uneasy with Netanyahu and the far-right elements of his government. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the United States was "deeply concerned" by the developments.

The architect of the plan, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a popular party member, had long promised he would resign if the overhaul was suspended. But on Monday, he said he would respect the prime minister's decision should he halt the legislation.

Netanyahu's dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant appeared to signal that the prime minister and his allies would barrel ahead. Gallant was the first senior member of the ruling Likud party to speak out against the plan, saying the deep divisions threatened to weaken the military.

And Netanyahu's government forged ahead with a centerpiece of the overhaul – a law that would give the governing coalition the final say over all judicial appointments. A parliamentary committee approved the legislation on Monday for a final vote, which could come this week.

The government also seeks to pass laws that would grant the Knesset the authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit judicial review of laws. A separate law that would circumvent a Supreme Court ruling to allow a key coalition ally to serve as minister was delayed following a request from that party's leader.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Tags: Benjamin Netanyahui24NEWS-VIDIsraelJudicial Reform

Related Posts

Former Mossad director tells all in upcoming bookGideon Markowicz

Former Mossad director tells all in upcoming book

by Shirit Avitan Cohen

Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen is rising as a potential candidate in upcoming elections, making the book's release sound like...

Major reshuffle reportedly in the works amid Netanyahu-Gallant tensionsOren Ben Hakoon, Meytal Cohen, Tomer Neuberg/Flash 90

Major reshuffle reportedly in the works amid Netanyahu-Gallant tensions

by ILH Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly contemplating a significant cabinet reshuffle, including the potential dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,...

Defense budget committee faces tight deadline amid Smotrich-Gallant disagreementsOren Ben Hakoon, IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Defense budget committee faces tight deadline amid Smotrich-Gallant disagreements

by Yehuda Shlezinger

Israel Hayom learns that the two ministers remain at odds over the committee's scope, particularly regarding major military procurement decisions.

Menu

Analysis 

Archaeology

Blogpost

Business & Finance

Culture

Exclusive

Explainer

Environment

 

Features

Health

In Brief

Jewish World

Judea and Samaria

Lifestyle

Cyber & Internet

Sports

 

Diplomacy 

Iran & The Gulf

Gaza Strip

Politics

Shopping

Terms of use

Privacy Policy

Submissions

Contact Us

About Us

The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30, 2007. Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better, more balanced and more accurate journalism. Journalism that speaks, not shouts. Journalism of a different kind. And free of charge.

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

  • Home
  • News
    • Israel at War
    • Israel
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

Newsletter

[contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”]

  • Home
  • News
    • Israel at War
    • Israel
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il