1.

The month of Iyar is the month of national holidays. Special times such as these have the power to elevate us above the wars of the Jews and the endless arguments among ourselves to the sphere of eternity so that we can remember from where we came (the covenant of fate) and where we are going (the covenant of destiny). The debate over the place of the Supreme Court and the reforms it needs to undergo will ultimately be solved. Our life truths will remain, and it is important to draw strength and encouragement from them so as not to fall into despair and hopelessness.

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A year after witnessing the humiliation of Alfred Dreyfus and a month before his revolutionary book "The Jewish State" was published, Herzl wrote in January 1896 in The Jewish Chronicle: "It is remarkable that we Jews should have dreamt this kingly dream throughout the long night of our history. Now day is dawning. We need only rub the sleep out of our eyes, stretch our limbs, and convert the dream into a reality. Though neither prophet nor visionary, I confess I cherish the hope and believe that the Jewish people will one day be fired by a splendid enthusiasm."

Herzl spoke about a change in the consciousness of the people. Consciousness leads to action when it is full of hope, but it can cause people to lose the will to act when it is disheartened. This holds true also for the complex system of a people, especially the Jewish people, where conflict, controversy, ideological wars, and the shattering of false idols were the foundation of its existence, development, and survival.

2.

Herzl understood that he could not take on by himself this enormous endeavor of resurrecting a people and restoring the Jewish state. He continues: "For the present, however, I would appeal calm words to the common sense of men of practical judgment and of modern culture. A subsequent task will be to seek out the less favored, to teach and inspire them. This latter task I cannot undertake alone. I shall take my part in it, in the ranks of those friends and fellow workers whom I am endeavoring to arouse and unite for a common cause." He immediately clarifies that he is not referring only to his close circle: "No. it is a national movement, and it will be a glorious one, if kept unsullied by the taint of personal desires, though these desires took on other form than political ambition." Herzl goes on to reveal the ideas that he would later publish in The Jewish State.

At the time Herzl's article was published, about 1800 years had passed since the Bar Kochba revolt failed and our last political movement for independence was crushed amid heavy bloodshed. Following the rebellion, which inflicted severe losses on the Roman army, and following a rebellion of the Diaspora about twenty years earlier, Emperor Hadrian decided to erase the land of Judea from memory (Damnatio memoriae). He ordered that in all official documents, the name "Judea" be replaced with "Syria Palaestina." The name was likely taken from Herodotus, the Greek historian of the fifth century BCE, who wrote about the Philistines, a seafaring people who invaded the land of Israel around the twelfth century BCE and fought with the Hebrews for control of the land until they disappeared around the seventh century BCE. Hadrian believed that this would make the Jews forget their land and not rebel again.

3.

Century after century, the number of Jews in the Land of Israel dwindled as they were scattered to the four corners of the earth, especially after the Muslim conquest in the seventh century CE which made life difficult for non-Muslims. The Land of Israel became an object of a dreamy desire, and the national idea was forgotten in favor of religious existence. The national consciousness fell into a deep sleep for many centuries. More than once, as I told my children the story of Sleeping Beauty, I imagined Israel and its leaders and shepherds in every generation lying unconscious. We waited for the kiss of a handsome prince that would awaken us from our national slumber.

The Vilna Gaon described in the late 18th century what had happened to our national consciousness: "We are in exile and the dry bones are scattered… Since the Temple was destroyed, our spirit and our crown departed, and only we remained, the body without the soul. And exile away from the Land is a grave. Worms surround us there, and we do not have the power to save ourselves from the idol worshippers who devour our flesh. In every place, there were great Jewish communities and yeshivot, until the body decayed, and the bones scattered, again and again. Yet, always, some bones still existed, the Torah Scholars of the Israelite Nation, the pillars of the body – until even these bones rotted, and there only remained a rancid waste which disintegrated into dust – our life turned into dust…... and now we hope for the resurrection of the dead: 'Awaken from the dust and arise.'"

The resurrection of the dead that the Vilna Gaon spoke of, was primarily the resurrection of the national consciousness that had melted away in the fog of history."

4.

This is an ancient tradition in our culture, especially during challenging times from a national perspective. The prophet Ezekiel, who lived during the first exile in the sixth century BCE, struggled with collective despair and inaction. The idea of national death in the form of dry and scattered bones that appeared in the Vilna Gaon's writing was mentioned thousands of years earlier in the prophecy of Ezekiel: "O mortal, these bones are the whole House of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed.'" At first glance, there is no hope for our future. This is the known recipe for defeat, assimilation, dissolution, and disappearance from history. They needed a change of consciousness.

Ezekiel calls on the people not to despair. Our hope is not lost, he promises: "I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you back to your own land." For this to happen, he adds, "And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you (this is the change of consciousness): I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh." A "heart of stone" represents a fossilized consciousness, intransigent despair, and lack of faith that can change and be transformed. Ezekiel continues: "…and I will put My spirit into you… and you shall dwell in the Land."  In the process of returning home to Zion, the spirit within us, which had until then been dormant, is awakened.

5.

It is fascinating to think about the fact that the first Zionist settlement established during the modern era was named "Petah Tikva" (the opening – or the gate – of hope). In 1878, the pioneers of the "mother of the settlements" – as Petah Tikva is called - opened a gateway to hope within the dormant national consciousness. They taught us that it was possible to leave the walled cities and conquer the barren land, and most importantly, to make a living from the soil of the good land rather than rely on charity. After Petach Tikva, the other settlements of the First Aliyah followed, and an echo chamber reinforced the message of change. And then, at the First Zionist Congress, twenty years after the establishment of Petach Tikva, when Herzl said to the astonished delegates, "If you will it, it is no dream," the fallen tabernacle of David began to be rebuilt, pioneers made the Land bloom and dreamed dreams of a kingdom.

Between the time of Herzl and the present era we experienced the greatest disaster in history, and then, three years later, our boundless joy, "the only miracle": the establishment of the state. If one of the exiles from Babylon had landed among us, he would say: "nothing has changed." Like the exiles, some of us are still mourning and lamenting: "Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone; we are doomed."  But the exiles from Babylon spoke like this after the great destruction, while we hear these voices at a time when the Jewish people are experiencing an unprecedented flourishing in their history.

In this month, it is important to reflect on the amazing process of revival that we have undergone in what is in historical terms only recent and to put the difficulties and seeds of despair in the right perspective. We are only at the beginning of the ascent. Patience is required of us. And faith.

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Israel's representative organization that commemorates the memory of Israel's fallen soldiers, Yad Labanim, called on politicians to suspend their political bickering to honor the fallen, prompting Israel Hayom to turn to leading figures on both sides of the divide to respond. Following that query, the offices of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and State Party Chairman Benny Gantz indicated they would support a quadrilateral statement that would meet Yad Labanim's request. Netanyahu's bureau also asked the organization's Chairman Eli Ben-Shem to draft the language of that public appeal.

Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu called on Israeli politicians from his government and the Opposition to keep protests at his judicial overhaul plan away from annual remembrances for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks. Netanyahu's spokesperson reiterated the prime minister's call to "preserve the sanctity of Memorial Day." Gallant soon followed suit and said that "we [the government] would be happy to cooperate in having this day honored," while Lapid echoed his comments, saying, "We would support every initiative that would honor the fallen's memory and the bereaved families during that day." Meanwhile, an organizer of the televised 75th Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem that will follow Memorial Day next week said cameras would cut away from anyone trying to disrupt it.

Israel has been swept by unprecedented street demonstrations since Netanyahu's Coalition introduced reforms that would rein in the Supreme Court. He says the goal is a balance of powers. Critics fear for judicial independence. Despite a late-March pause, Netanyahu ordered on legislation to make room for compromise negotiations, protests have persisted and may overshadow the country's Memorial Day and Independence Day, which take place back-to-back next week.

Faced with the prospect of solemn family visits at military cemeteries for Tuesday's Memorial Day being disrupted, Netanyahu issued a video statement asking that the bereaved "be allowed to commune in silence with the memory of their loved ones".

"Over recent months, an argument that is important for democracy has been waged within us. But during these days, I request that all public officials, from right and left, put aside that argument," said Netanyahu, whose elder brother Yoni was killed leading a 1976 rescue of hostages at Entebbe. After nightfall, Israel's Mount Herzl military cemetery will be transformed with pageantry to usher in Independence Day.

Moshik Aviv, director of the ceremony, said a recording of a rehearsal was on hand to cut to should the event be disrupted by members of the audience – who, he added, would be screened for any items that might be used to mount a protest. "We don't want to engineer perceptions, but we do want to convey our main message, which is that the substance of the ceremony is what is positive and unifying," he told Army Radio.

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Israel has seen its overall strategic situation worsen over the past several months, the IDF Intelligence Directorate's Research Division warned in a recent memo sent to the top brass and the key decision-makers in the defense and political echelons, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. 

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This assessment may have been what prompted Gallant to issue the strong warning just several days ago, which resulted in his firing (Netanyahu has since put his termination on hold). The memo states that Israel's dangerous strategic posture can be attributed to several factors, with the main one being the weakness Israel's enemies have sensed due to the internal chasm over the judicial reform legislation. This view of Israel is shared by all members of the anti-Israeli axis led by Iran, and it has been clearly manifested in the series of meetings held by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials aimed at coordinating their positions

Senior Iranian officials have held similar talks and it is likely that Iran has been pressuring the various members of the anti-Israeli axis to perpetrate attacks. This overall calculus is probably what led to the attempted cross-border attack from Lebanon several weeks ago, whose perpetrator was likely inspired by Hezbollah, as well as the increased effort to execute plots from Judea and Samaria – a theater considered by all the members of the axis as the archimedean point that could set the region ablaze.

Another reason for the perceived Israeli weakness is the daylight between Israel and the US. Iran is the main beneficiary of such a development because it believes that Israel will not be able to carry out an offensive against it or strike its nuclear program with US support. The Palestinian Authority has also been encouraged by the US-Israel friction and it hopes to seize on it, particularly in international forums – from UN committees to The Hague. Meanwhile, Israel's friends have expressed concern over the relations between Jerusalem and Washington. these countries mainly include Persian Gulf states but also Egypt, Jordan, and other regional players. 

If in the past they moved closer to Israel because of its strong bond with the US and their realization that a deal with the Jewish state would also bring the US on board. The current rift between the two nations has pushed those same friends toward Iran. This has been evident in the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh (as well as Bahrain), but also in the warm welcome given to Iran's foreign minister when arrived in Cairo. 

The immediate implication of the new situation is the erosion of Israeli deterrence, which would later also adversely affect the country's overall security and diplomatic strength both in regional terms and globally, the memo states. The fear is that Israel's strategic decline will be exacerbated as the ongoing upheaval intensifies at home and the processes threatening Israel from the outside accelerate. 

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Israel's Airports Authority says departing flights from the country's main international airport have been grounded following a strike called in protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul.

The strike was called on Monday by the country's largest trade union grouping and could paralyze large swaths of Israel's economy. Tens of thousands are expected to be affected by the flight changes.

Planes will for the moment still be able to land at Ben-Gurion Airport, outside the sprawling seaside metropolis of Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul has sparked unprecedented opposition from across Israeli society.

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Netanyahu was set to halt his bitterly contested judicial overhaul, an official from his Likud party said on Monday, a day after the sacking of his defense chief over the plan sparked mass street protests. However, in light of his emerging decision, which Israel Hayom has learned meant that the bills could be reintroduced after Independence Day in late April, infighting erupted between Likud and its Coalition allies in the Knesset, leading to the postponing of the announcement.

Earlier, President Isaac Herzog urged the government to call a halt to the planned legislation, which has ignited some of the biggest nationwide demonstrations in Israel's recent history.

"For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately," Herzog said on Twitter.

As pressure grew on Netanyahu, who is expected to make a statement on Monday morning, reports that the overhaul would be halted were carried across Israeli media.

The warning from the head of state who is supposed to stand above politics and whose function is largely ceremonial underlined the alarm the divisions opened up by the proposals has caused. It followed a dramatic night of protests in cities across Israel, with tens of thousands pouring out on the streets following Netanyahu's announcement that he had dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

A day earlier, Gallant had made a televised appeal for the government to halt its flagship overhaul of the judicial system, warning that the deep split it had opened up in Israeli society was affecting the military and threatening national security.

During furious scenes in the Knesset early on Monday, opposition members of parliament attacked Simcha Rothman, the committee chairman who has shepherded the bill, with cries of "Shame! Shame!".

"This is a hostile takeover of the State of Israel. No need for Hamas, no need for Hezbollah," one lawmaker was heard saying to Rothman as the constitution committee pressed on with a key part of the bill which is due to be ratified this week. He was referring to the anti-Israel terrorist groups.

Three months after it took power as one of the most right-wing governments in the country's history, Gallant's removal has plunged Netanyahu's national-religious coalition into crisis, during a deepening security situation in multiple theaters.

As trading opened on Monday, the shekel, which has seen big swings over recent weeks as the political turbulence has played out, fell 0.7% in early trading before recovering some ground as expectations grew the legislation would be halted.

The judicial overhaul, which would give the executive control over appointing judges to the Supreme Court and allow the government to override court rulings on the basis of a simple parliamentary majority has drawn mass protests for weeks.

While the government says the overhaul is needed to rein in activist judges and set a proper balance between the elected government and the judiciary, opponents see it as an undermining of legal checks and balances and a threat to Israel's democracy.

Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges that he denies, has so far vowed to continue with the project and a central part of the overhaul package, a bill that would tighten political control over judicial appointments, is due to be voted on in parliament this week.

As well as drawing opposition from the business establishment, the project has caused alarm among Israel's allies. The United States said it was deeply concerned by Sunday's events and saw an urgent need for compromise, while repeating calls to safeguard democratic values.

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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's direct attack on the government's judicial overhaul and his veiled threat to withhold support in the crucial votes this week have sparked a political firestorm, with the governing party Likud up in arms.

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Israel Hayom has learned that before Gallant decided to defy the party line with his live address on Saturday he prodded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet to discuss the impact of the reform on Israel's overall national security, to no avail. Netanyahu refused to do so even though Israeli law stipulates the government is tasked with this matter as a collective.

Senior officials told Israel Hayom that Netanyahu's refusal could be illegal and is at the very least "irresponsible" as this potentially amounts to shirking the role of prime minister.

Senior members of Likud warned that in light of Gallant's statement from Saturday, in which he said that the reforms pose a "clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state" he might soon get the ax in the government.

"A senior cabinet minister who votes against the Coalition sends a negative signal to the rest of the Coalition," one Likud member said. Gallant has stopped short of saying how he would vote when the reforms come up for a vote this week.

Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who heads the Opposition's State Party, said that "if a defense minister votes for a plan that he views as a clear and present danger to the state he must not stay on the job. I would advise the prime minister to listen to him rather than threaten him."

Following the Israel Hayom revelation on Netanyahu's refusal to convene the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, three former IDF chiefs of staff sent an urgent letter to Netanyahu asking him to do so.

The signatories – former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Moshe Ya'alon, and Dan Halutz – said in their letter that the prime minister had acted in a "reckless and unprecedented manner that shows poor judgment."

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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant became the first ally in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition to break ranks on Saturday as he called for an immediate halt to the far-right government's contentious plan to overhaul the country's judiciary.

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In a televised address, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressed concern over the turmoil within Israel's military that he said posed a threat to the country's security. Citing the need for dialogue with the opposition, Gallant asked that Netanyahu's coalition wait until after Parliament reconvenes from its holiday break next month before pushing ahead with its divisive plan to weaken the Supreme Court.

Video: Israeli defense minister calls for halt on judicial overhaul / Reuters

"For the sake of Israel's security, for the sake of our sons and daughters, the legislative process must be stopped at this time," Gallant, a top official in Netanyahu's Likud party, said.

The government's plan to increase its control over the judiciary has sparked the largest protest movement in Israeli history and triggered a grave national crisis, including even warnings from the president of civil war.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets as they have every week since the start of the year – in many cases bringing parts of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to a standstill. It has also raised the hackles of Israel's closest allies, testing its ties with the United States.

Police unleashed water cannons on masses of protesters who whistled and waved Israeli flags as they marched down Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. "Shame! Shame!" they chanted in Hebrew. As the protesters advanced, officers on horseback violently rammed into the crowds. "Haven't the Jewish people suffered enough?" read one protester's sign.

The judicial proposal has drawn intensifying criticism from across Israeli society – including from former prime ministers and defense officials, high-tech business leaders, Israel's attorney general, and American Jews.

In recent weeks, discontent over the overhaul has even surged from within Israel's army – the country's most popular and respected institution, which has historically been an apolitical unifier. A growing number of Israeli reservists have threatened to withdraw from voluntary duty in the past weeks, posing a broad challenge to Netanyahu as he defiantly plows ahead with the judicial changes while on trial for corruption.

"The events taking place in Israeli society do not spare the Israel Defense Forces – from all sides, feelings of anger, pain, and disappointment arise, with an intensity I have never encountered before," Gallant said. "I see how the source of our strength is being eroded."

In security-minded Israel, the unrest has prompted concern about the Israeli military's capabilities.

"This is a clear, immediate, and tangible danger to the security of the state," he said, referring to the judicial plans. "I will not take part in this."

Gallant stopped short of saying what, if anything, he would do if Netanyahu ignored his plea. But his strong statement of concern for the polarized nation marked the first crack in Netanyahu's coalition, the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in Israeli history.

Despite mounting dissent, the government passed a key part of the overhaul on Thursday, approving legislation that would protect the Israeli leader from being deemed unfit to rule because of his trial and claims of a conflict of interest. Critics say the law is tailor-made for Netanyahu and encourages corruption.

That day, Gallant met with Netanyahu, reportedly to voice concerns that protests by Israeli reservists and other security forces were hurting Israel's international image and power of deterrence. After the meeting, Netanyahu nonetheless announced that he would become directly involved in the overhaul, declaring his hands "untied."

Israel's attorney general issued a sharp rebuke on Friday, warning that Netanyahu had broken the law by announcing his direct involvement in the overhaul while facing criminal charges – a stern statement that raised the specter of a constitutional crisis.

Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of scandals. He denies wrongdoing and dismisses critics who say he could find an escape route from the charges through the legal overhaul his government is advancing.

Supporters of the judicial overhaul – which includes plans to increase the coalition's control over judicial appointments and diminish the Supreme Court's ability to strike down laws passed by Parliament – say it will restore power to elected legislators and make the courts less interventionist. Critics say the move upends Israel's system of checks and balances and pushes it toward autocracy.

In spite of the backlash, Netanyahu has dismissed offers for a compromise, including from Israel's mainly ceremonial president earlier this month. "For the sake of our security, for the sake of our unity, it is our duty to return to the arena of dialogue," Gallant said.

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Our government ministers would do well to bear in mind that there is a world out there that they need to take into consideration. The fact that Israel's ambassador to Washington, Mike Herzog, was summoned by the State Department for a form of diplomatic rebuke is the least of Israel's problems with the US. Though this is clearly a most disagreeable incident, the diplomatic-security benefit to be gained from the repeal of the Disengagement Law is genuinely worth a bout of unpleasantness. After all, it is good that our enemies should know that we have returned to parts of our homeland that we mistakenly abandoned in the past.

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The main problem is; however, that the dressing down that Ambassador Herzog had to endure from Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is hardly an isolated incident. It comes at a time when the US President prefers not to meet with Israel's prime minister, and when in a clear counter to this, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his ministers not to meet their US colleagues until further notice. In other words – this is a marked trend of a deteriorating relationship.

The additional blow is that there are other conflicts arising day in day out, which are completely superfluous, with the US administration in particular and the international community in general. Israel is paying a heavy price because its government ministers are simply unable to hold their tongues – this is completely unacceptable behavior.

What, for example, was the point of Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich brazenly shouting that "There is no such thing as the Palestinian people"? Not to mention his timing, doing so immediately after he had already managed to spark the wrath of the international community by announcing that "Hawara should be wiped out"? Indeed, there is considerable dispute surrounding the question of the existence of the "Palestinian people".  If somebody really feels the urge to talk about it then they could make do with a more measured statement, such as this. Why show a red rag to a bull? What good does that serve to anybody?

The same is true for the Minister of Transportation Miri Regev. How can it be that a minister who is so proud of her Moroccan heritage, and who served as the IDF spokesperson, comes to insult such an important country, in a style that is completely unacceptable both in the West and in Arab states? What would happen if a minister from an Arab state would have spoken about Israel in such a manner – we would surely have wasted no time in labeling him as an antisemite.

This also applies to the draft bill proposed by MK Moshe Gafni and MK Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism) to limit the religious freedom of the Christians in Israel. Do the honorable MKs know that only this week – yes, this week – those pro-Israel Christians held a solemn day of fasting and prayer in light of the current rift among the Jewish people here in Israel?

If there was any innate benefit in these provocative acts, then okay, so be it. But there is really none whatsoever. The only outcome they generate is a chain reaction causing serious harm to Israel's international interests. Those who have the privilege of residing in ministerial bureaus should bear in mind that there is a world out there that they need to take into consideration.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to "mend the rift" in a nation deeply divided over his proposed overhaul of the country's judiciary. But he offered no details on how he intends to do so and gave no indication that he would slow down the plan.

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"Enough is enough," Netanyahu said in the statement that acknowledged concerns of both sides of the constitutional feud. "I'm putting aside all other considerations and for the sake of our nation will do anything it takes to reach a solution."

He sounded set on pursuing what he called "responsible judicial reform," including a bill due for ratification next week that would curb some Supreme Court powers and tighten political control over the appointment of judges.

But he also offered reassurances that individual rights would be safeguarded by law. A proposal to enable parliament to override some Supreme Court rulings by a slim majority among lawmakers "won't happen," Netanyahu said without elaborating.

Netanyahu delivered his appeal in a nationally televised address after another day of mass protests across the country against the plan, and hours after his parliamentary coalition passed the first in a series of laws that make up the overhaul. His vague pledges were quickly rejected by the protest movement, which said it would continue to oppose "Netanyahu's attempt to become a dictator."

Protesters blocked traffic on main highways and scuffled with police in unrest that shows no sign of abating. Police used water cannons to disperse crowds, and dozens of people – including leaders of the protest movement – were arrested.

The government's plan has plunged the nearly 75-year-old nation into one of its worst domestic crises. Netanyahu and his allies want to weaken the powers of the judiciary, saying unelected Supreme Court justices and other judges wield too much power.

Critics say the changes, which would give Netanyahu and his conservative allies the final say in choosing the country's judges, will destroy a delicate system of checks and balances. They also say Netanyahu has a conflict of interest while he is on trial for multiple corruption charges.

In his speech, Netanyahu said he understood the concerns of both sides. He accused the Supreme Court of intervening in political issues but also acknowledged concerns by his opponents that a narrow parliamentary majority could impose its will and harm the rights of LGBTQ people, Palestinian citizens, and other minorities.

"We will ensure the basic rights of all Israeli citizens – Jews and non-Jews, secular and religious, women, the LGBTQ community, everyone without exception," he said. "I will do everything to calm the waters and mend the rift in the nation, because we are family."

As he spoke, thousands of people continued to march in cities across Israel, including a large crowd outside of his private residence in Jerusalem. Netanyahu pushed back his departure on an official trip to Britain until 4 a.m. on Friday to deal with the crisis.

His opponents quickly rejected the speech. The grassroots protest movement said it would press ahead with the demonstrations, which have taken place weekly for the past three months.

"Tonight we saw a dictator-in-the-making who instead of stopping the legal coup, decided to continue with the hostile political takeover of the Supreme Court," it said.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu made clear he has "no intention of holding true dialogue." He called on "responsible" members of Netanyahu's Likud party to speak up against the plan. Among Lapid's targets is Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a top Likud official who met with Netanyahu shortly before the speech.

According to Israeli media, Gallant voiced his concerns that objections by Israeli reservists and other security forces were hurting Israel's international image and power of deterrence. However, Gallant abruptly canceled a planned statement in which he was expected to call on Netanyahu to freeze the plan.

The opposition is rooted in broad swaths of society – including business leaders and top legal officials. Even the country's military, seen as a beacon of stability by Israel's Jewish majority, is enmeshed in the political conflict, as some reservists are refusing to show up for duty over the changes. Israel's international allies have also expressed concern.

In a first step of the overhaul, Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition approved legislation that would protect the Israeli leader from being deemed unfit to rule because of his trial and claims of a conflict of interest. Critics say the law is tailor-made for Netanyahu and encourages corruption.

The law to protect Netanyahu passed in a 61-47 vote in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament, after a debate that ran through the night. It stipulates that a prime minister can only be deemed unfit to rule for health or mental reasons and that only he or his government can make that decision.

Civil society groups have called on the attorney general to declare him unfit to rule over his legal problems. The attorney general has already barred Netanyahu from direct involvement in the legal overhaul, saying he is at risk of a conflict of interest.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a good governance organization, said it would challenge the new law in court.

On Thursday, protesters launched a fourth midweek day of demonstrations. They blocked major thoroughfares, set tires ablaze near an important seaport and draped a large Israeli flag and a banner with the country's Declaration of Independence over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.

The protests have intensified in recent weeks, with a number of senior Cabinet ministers accosted and heckled by vocal crowds while making public appearances. Netanyahu called on opposition leaders to "stop the anarchy immediately."

A protest took place Thursday night in Bnei Brak, a large ultra-Orthodox city near Tel Aviv. The overhaul crisis has magnified a longstanding rift between secular Jewish Israelis and religious ones over how much of a role religion should play in their day-to-day lives.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers in government are central drivers of the overhaul because they believe the courts are a threat to their traditional way of life. In contrast, secular opponents to the changes fear they will open the door to religious coercion. They also object to exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox men from military duty, which is mandatory for most Jews.

Along with Thursday's demonstrations, tens of thousands have been showing up for weekly protests each Saturday night.

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Israelis packed city streets on Saturday in nationwide demonstrations now in their 11th week against plans by the hard-right government to curb the Supreme Court's powers, which critics see as a threat to judicial independence.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says his aim is to balance out branches of government, wields a parliamentary majority along with his religious-nationalist Coalition allies but his planned judicial overhaul has sparked concern at home and abroad.

Video: Reuters / Drone shows thousands protesting Netanyahu's reform plan in Tel Aviv

As the changes head toward ratification, the protests have escalated, affecting the economy – the shekel has slipped – and extending to a threat by some military reservists not to heed call-up orders.

President Isaac Herzog has appealed for the overhaul to be postponed and presented an alternative plan to the changes on Wednesday which was swiftly rejected by the prime minister.

"I came with my friends here to Tel Aviv, to demonstrate against what is called reforms," Ronen Shaike, 47, told Reuters at a demonstration in the city, saying he wanted to defend the country's democracy, which he accused the government of seeking to destroy.

Netanyahu, who returned to office for a sixth term in late December, has said the demonstrations are aimed at toppling him. He is on trial in three corruption cases and denies all wrongdoing.

"I'm here to demonstrate with the people of Israel, against the revolution, against the changing of our state," said Dalia Yosef, 72, also at the Tel Aviv demonstration.

Protests even spread to the West Bank, long considered a political stronghold for Netanyahu's right-wing Coalition partners. More than 50 mostly modern-Orthodox Jewish protesters chanted traditional Jewish songs holding blue and white flags at a central junction in the West Bank town of Efrat.

"What they are trying to do is monopolize, to have all the power in their hands," Shmuel Wygoda, a college professor told Reuters in Efrat. "Once you have all the power in the hands of one side, it is a change, which we know from history, from totalitarian regimes, that all the power is unfortunately used against the people."

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Some two months have passed since the Coalition introduced the judicial overhaul; the public discourse has run its course. Tempers flared and people have honed their views on the issues at hand; the divisions have intensified and the dangers have been laid bare, along with the merits of the plan.

Its damage and its potential advantages are clear and compromises have been drafted. Enough – it's now time to restore the sanity Israelis deserve. True, the proposals have gone too far but it is also true that the resistance to them is not as authentic as it seems. And while it is imperative to check the judiciary, it is also true that the balance of power should not result in one branch of government taking over another one.

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An overwhelming majority of Israelis agree on these principles, as do most of the politicians on both sides. Our leaders also know what compromises would entail. All that is needed is a decision to adopt them.

Israelis' collective soul has been torn over this. If there is still one thing that enjoys national consensus today it's the desire to end this clash between the two camps. The silent, moderate, and mature majority knows that we have reached a point we are talking past each other. Each side is now just looking for more ways to fuel the fire; a fight just for the sake of fighting.

The alternative to a compromise is very bad. If there is no reform, the government will fall, and Israelis will go to the polls for the sixth time in 4 years. This is not something we want. If the government doesn't take out the problematic language in the bills, it would be just a matter of time before Israel's state institutions start to disintegrate. The leaders of the protest movement are just biding for time, hoping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman make more mistakes. Elections or anarchy, it doesn't matter to them, that is what the leaders of the protests are angling for. Thus, it would be wise to deny them this pleasure by pre-empting things.

In about a month we will mark Holocaust Day and Memorial Day, and then celebrate Israel's 75th anniversary. The thought of this situation not being resolved by then makes the hair stand on the back of my neck, considering just how combustible that period could become.

Do we really need to reach a situation where Holocaust survivors start shouting "You are Hitler" at Netanyahu in ceremonies? Do we really want Israeli Air Force pilots to refuse to take part in the celebratory flypast on Independence Day? Do we want the various events and speeches on those days to be marred by protest signs reading "Dictator!"

The answer is no; this is not how the Jewish people want to mark three-quarters of a century of being independent in the Land of Israel.

The prime minister and the senior officials in the Coalition know what they have to do in order to stop this madness. President Isaac Herzog knows this too. If the political leaders don't change course, then he must act swiftly by placing a reasonable compromise on the table that would finally put an end to the destruction of our public life. Who knows, perhaps even a miracle will happen and the Opposition will produce a responsible leader that will adopt it.

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