Explained: Why Benjamin Netanyahu has put a pause on the controversial judicial overhaul

“I am taking the time out for dialogue. From a will to prevent the rift in the nation, I have decided to delay the second and third reading in order to reach a broad consensus,” said Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as he agreed to suspend a planned judiciary reform that brought the nation to a standstill. The Israeli prime minister in a national address lasting around seven minutes, said he would hold discussions and bring the legislation up for a vote sometime after lawmakers return from a recess at the end of April. He emphasised however that he was determined to pass the contentious judicial reform but called for “an attempt to achieve broad consensus”. Here’s a look at what happened in Israel and what the country can expect next. Protests grip the nation Since January when Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the plan to reform the judicial system, which would give politicians more power over the courts, there has been unrest in the country. Activists and locals argue that the overhaul is Netanyahu’s way of quashing possible judgments against him in corruption trials. They contend that the new legislation is a “danger” to democracy. Also read: Timeline | Israel’s worst domestic crisis over controversial judicial reforms On Monday, the protests became the worst the county has witnessed after Netanyahu fired his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who expressed his dissent over the judicial reforms. An estimated that 600,000 people took to the streets to protest the proposals on Monday, bringing the capital — Tel Aviv — and other cities to a standstill. Chants of ‘the country is on fire’ rang out loud across the nation and protesters lit bonfires on Tel Aviv’s main highway and even gathered outside the Knesset, the parliament, to put more pressure.

Tens of thousands of people waving blue and white Israeli flags gathered outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem, at one point breaching a security cordon. Israel’s largest trade union group — Histadrut labour federation — also called for a strike on Monday, leading to an almost closure of the country. Banks shut down, hospitals cancelled non-urgent treatments. Universities cancelled classes. The chaos also saw the closure of Ben Gurion International Airport, causing cancellation of several flights, affecting people’s travel in and out of the country. Work even halted at the country’s main seaports. [caption id=“attachment_12363682” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Travellers look at a monitor displaying delayed flights after take-offs were suspended as part of nationwide protests against the government’s judicial overhaul plan at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, Israel. Reuters[/caption] Thousands of military reservists also threatened to boycott duty, leading to fears in Israel that the country’s military readiness would be impacted. The situation took a turn for the worse on Monday as diplomats at Israeli missions overseas also protested against the reform and went on strike. Yaniv Levy, the Histadrut spokesman, said the missions were providing only emergency services. Ambassadors and consuls-general were among those on strike. The massive protests even prompted Israeli president Isaac Herzog to state that the government should halt the reforms “immediately”. “For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of the necessary responsibility, I call on you to halt the legislative process immediately,” Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial post, said in a statement. “The entire nation is rapt with deep worry,” he added, in an appeal to the government. “Our security, economy, society — all are under threat.”

Check out our other stories on Israel’s judical reforms and the protests Israel witnesses ‘biggest’ protest in history: What has angered the public? Israel crisis deepens over judiciary row: Benjamin Netanyahu’s many, many legal troubles Explained: Why Israeli protesters are dressed up as characters from ‘Handmaid’s Tale’

Pressure from abroad The protests swelled as the day progressed leading to other countries expressing concern about the situation. A New York Times report states that in the 48 hours before Netanyahu reluctantly delayed his effort to overhaul the Israeli judiciary, his government was bombarded by warnings from the Joe Biden administration that he was imperilling Israel’s reputation as the true democracy at the heart of the Middle East. The report added that Joe Biden in a phone call to Netanyahu had said that major changes to the system must only “be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.” [caption id=“attachment_12363692” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Israelis protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government to overhaul the judicial system, in Tel Aviv, Israel. AP[/caption] Shortly after Israel announced a pause on the reforms, British foreign secretary James Cleverly welcomed the news, emphasising the importance of “checks and balances”. Earlier, this week when Netanyahu had visited London, Reuters had reported that Rishi Sunak had raised the matter. “The prime minister stressed the importance of upholding the democratic values that underpin our relationship, including in the proposed judicial reforms in Israel,” Sunak’s office had said as per a Reuters report. Even the United Nations human rights chief had urged Israel to pause the reforms, saying that “if passed, these changes risk weakening human rights protections for all.” Uncertain future Facing pressure from all corners, Netanyahu announced that he would delay the process to next month after the Jewish Passover holiday from 5-13 April, “to give time for a real chance for a real debate.” However, protesters refuse to be placated by the move. Protester Zev Soane told The National that the fight was not over, despite the delay. “We have a saying: we’re not afraid of the long path. Evil people can stoop to lows that good people can’t, so it will take time. We’ll just have to beat them in the next election, which we’ll do by even more,” he said. Organisers of the protests were quoted as telling Al Jazeera, “A temporary freeze does not suffice, and the national protests will continue to intensify until the law is rejected in the Knesset.” [caption id=“attachment_12363702” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Protesters hold signs with the heads of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, Knesset member Simcha Rothman and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin. The protests on Monday brought the country to a standstill. Reuters[/caption] Haggai Matar, executive director of +972 magazine told Al Jazeera that the halt to the reform was probably a “delaying tactic”. “The opposition and the protest movement have said, time and time again, two things that need to serve as a foundation for negotiations,” he said. “One is completely stopping, not just slightly delaying, the legislation process. Right now the legislation process is at a point where Netanyahu, if he wanted to, can revive it and within less than a day have it approved.” Former head of the Israeli Intelligence Directorate and managing director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Major General Tamir Hayman said that postponing the vote until after the Passover holiday will not end anger on the streets. “The protests will continue unless Netanyahu will note publicly that he was mistaken when leading that reform, and (that) he is holding all future motivations to renew the judicial reform,” Hayman told CNN. “This is the only scenario where we will see a complete stop of all the demonstrations.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .