Tel Aviv, MINA – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that his plans to overhaul the judiciary were temporarily frozen after mass protests and strikes paralyzed the country.
The announcement comes after weeks of protests against the proposed reforms that are supported by the right wing, but fiercely opposed by many Israelis, The New Arab reported.
Critics argue the law changes will strengthen Netanyahu’s powers and strengthen the power of the far right.
When a general strike was launched in Israel on Monday, with threats of potentially violent counter-protests from the right, Netanyahu said justice reform would be frozen, for now.
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“Out of a sense of national responsibility, out of a desire to prevent divisions among our people, I have decided to stop reading the second and third bills,” he said.
He added that he would postpone the consideration of the bill to the next parliamentary session starting in the second half of April.
An unprecedented protest was launched against the extremist coalition from moving forward with a controversial judicial overhaul. The mass closed the airport and other important infrastructure.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday called for an immediate halt to the government’s controversial plans, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his defense minister over similar demands and mass protests were held across Israel. (T/RE1)
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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