Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday evening that he was temporarily freezing the bill that would alter the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee and was willing to give a "real opportunity to real dialogue" over the government's judicial reforms, which have thrown the country into turmoil and unprecedented civil unrest.
The statement came after hours of tense negotiations as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to quit the government if the legislation did not proceed on schedule, and as tens of thousands of judicial reform opponents protested outside the Knesset. Netanyahu ended up ensuring Ben-Gvir's approval after pledging that the cabinet in its coming meeting on Sunday would approve the transfer of Israel's National Guard to Ben-Gvir's ministry.
Netanyahu said that either way, his government would bring a reform that will "return the balance that was lost between the [government] branches," while "safeguarding and even strengthening individual rights."
The prime minister criticized an "extreme" minority amongst the opponents of the reforms, likening them to the mother who is willing to sacrifice her child in the well-known biblical story of Solomon's Trial. Refusal to deploy for reserve duty signals "the end of our country," and those who support this, or who call for anarchy and violence, are willing to tear the country apart, Netanyahu said.
The prime minister added that the country was on a "dangerous path," and that he would not allow it to descend into civil war. He thanks pro-reform camp for attending a large rally outside the Knesset on Monday evening, and asked that they "continue acting responsibly and not deteriorate into provocations."
"Stopping the legislation is the right thing," wrote President Isaac Herzog in a statement following Netanyahu's announcement. "This is the time to start an honest, serious and responsible conversation that will quickly calm [tensions] and lower the flames."
"For the sake of our unity and for the future of our children, we need to start talking here and now," he wrote.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also released a statement on Monday night in support of Netanyahu's postponement of the judicial reform legislation.
The government will approve at its next meeting a decision to form a National Guard and subjugate it to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in exchange for Ben-Gvir's party, Otzma Yehudit, promising not to leave the government over Netanyahu's intention to postpone the legislation of the first judicial reform bill.
"The reform will pass," tweeted Ben-Gvir on Monday night. "The National Guard will be established. The budget I requested for the National Security Ministry will be passed in its entirety."
הרפורמה תעבור. המשמר הלאומי יוקם. התקציב שדרשתי למשרד לביטחון לאומי יעבור במלואו. אף אחד לא יפחיד אותנו. אףאחד לא יצליח לשנות את הכרעת העם. חזרו אחרי: ד-מו-קר-טיה!
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) March 27, 2023
Ben-Gvir on Monday reportedly threatened to quit the government if Netanyahu decided to freeze the legislation until after the Knesset recess between April 2-30. The coalition announced last week that the first bill, that would give the coalition a majority in Israel's Judicial Appointments Committee, would pass before the Knesset recesses.
Yariv Levin speaks out as a Likud member
Justice Minister Yariv Levin said on Monday that he would respect a decision by Netanyahu to freeze legislation of the government's bill proposal to alter the makeup of Israel's Judicial Appointments Committee.
"As a member of the Likud, I respect any decision Prime Minister Netanyahu makes regarding the legal processes of the judicial reform. This, out of the knowledge that a situation in which everyone does as they wish can bring to the government falling and the Likud's collapse," Levin said in a statement.
"We must all make an effort in order to stabilize the government and coalition. We all have the duty not to make the mistake that was made at the time when the Shamir government was toppled, a mistake that brought the disaster of the Oslo Accords," the justice minister said.
Ahead of his announcement about the judicial reform, Netanyahu demanded that Yoav Gallant resign from Knesset in order to be reinstated as defense minister, according to KAN.
Israeli media reported on Monday that Finance Minster Bezalel Smotrich would likely also support Netanyahu's decision to pause legislation. However, on Monday afternoon, Smortich called his supporters to action in a statement on Monday, in which he said:
"Friends, under no circumstances should we stop the judicial reform [which will] strengthen Israeli democracy. We are the majority, We must not give into violence, anarchy...and wild strikes. Let's make our voice heard."
He concluded his statement with a call to action: "Let's meet tonight at 6 p.m. tonight, in Jerusalem, in front of the Knesset. I'll be there...We can't let them steal our voice and our country!"
This came hours after the Religious Zionist Party, of which Smotrich is member, made a statement saying: "After a lot of debate, our position is that we must not stop the legislation in any way. Stopping the legislation is a surrender to violence, anarchy, refusing orders and tyranny of the minority. We were willing to talk, compromise and agree the whole time but not under threat of a revolution in Israeli democracy."
Anticipation of Netanyahu's announcement
Netanyahu was expected to announce on Monday that he is freezing legislation on the judicial reform, but his statement, which was originally scheduled for 10 a.m., was delayed three times, and the time is still unknown.
However, the Religious Zionist Party put out a statement on Sunday night saying that it opposed freezing the legislation, and National Security Minister and Otmza Yehudit leader MK Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to quit the government if the judicial reform legislation freezes, according to reports by KAN and Channel 12 News. If Ben-Gvir leaves the government and quits the coalition, the coalition will no longer have a majority and the government could fall.
Walla reported on Monday that Ben-Gvir was also considering leaving the government but not supporting a dispersal of the Knesset, thus leaving Netanyahu with a minority government.
Ben-Gvir met with Netanyahu on Monday afternoon ahead of the prime minister's expected announcement to halt the judicial reform legislation.
Labor proposes bill to disperse Knesset
The Labor Party put forward a bill on Monday for the dispersal of the Knesset.
"In just a few months, the government has taken the 25th Knesset hostage for its extreme plans; the madness must be stopped, the Knesset must be dissolved and it must return to its work on behalf of the people of the country," Labor party chair MK Merav Michaeli said in a statement announcing the bill.
Netanyahu met with coalition party leaders on Monday morning in order to decide whether or not to push forward with the controversial bill, which passed in the Knesset Constitution Committee on Monday morning and is now ready to be brought to the Knesset plenum for its second and third reading.
President Herzog calls for legislation freeze
President Isaac Herzog called on the coalition to stop the legislation of the judicial reform on Monday morning after a night of major protests.
"Tonight, we saw some very difficult scenes," Herzog said. "I'm turning to the prime minister, the government and the members of the coalition: The emotions are difficult and painful. Deep anxiety is engulfing the people. The security, the economy, the society - everything is threatened. The eyes of all the people of Israel are turned to you.
"For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I am calling on you to stop legislation immediately. I turn to all the party leaders in the Knesset, coalition and opposition as one, put the citizens of the nation above all else and behave responsibly and bravely without further delay."
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid called on Netanyahu to retract his decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, arguing that this was not the time for the replacement of a defense minister.
"We do not need to crash. We do not need to collapse," Lapid said at a press conference ahead of his Yesh Atid party's faction meeting.
"There are solutions. I call on the coalition, let us go to the president's residence, and start a national dialogue at the end of which we will have a constitution based on the Declaration of Independence, and a state in which we all live together with mutual respect," Lapid said.
In response to a question by a reporter, the opposition leader said that he did not trust Netanyahu to hold talks with integrity, and that is why a string, objective mediator like the president was necessary.
Members of the coalition, especially Otmza Yehudit and Religious Zionist Party, applied pressure to push through with the legislation.
"Today something happened in Israel," Ben-Gvir said. "The votes of the pilots are worth more than Golani and the Border Police. The votes from Tzahala are worth more than the votes from Dimona and Beersheba, and the votes of hi-tech workers are worth more than manual laborers. The judicial reform must not be stopped and we cannot surrender to anarchy," Ben-Gvir said.
Members of the coalition, especially Otmza Yehudit and Religious Zionist Party, applied pressure to push through with the legislation.
"Today something happened in Israel," Ben-Gvir said. "The votes of the pilots are worth more than Golani and the Border Police. The votes from Tzahala are worth more than the votes from Dimona and Beersheba, and the votes of hi-tech workers are worth more than manual laborers. The judicial reform must not be stopped and we cannot surrender to anarchy," Ben-Gvir said.
RZP's National Missions Minister Orit Struck said, "Unfortunately the minority is forcing its opinion onto the majority. I am disappointed by my brothers in the Left whose behavior is below all criticism. The conclusion is that the revolt of the elites succeeded."
Major protests continued in Tel Aviv throughout Sunday night after Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for calling for the coalition to freeze the legislation. This led Israel's largest workers union, the Histadrut, as well as umbrella organizations from the business and hi-tech sectors, to announce a general strike on Monday.
A major rally by opponents of the judicial reform began outside the Knesset began at noon.
Right-wing organizations organized a counter-rally at 6:00 p.m., also outside of the Knesset. Along with a number of NGOs who support the reform, such as Im Tirzu and Yisrael Sheli, another group to announce their attendance is the Beitar Jerusalem fan club, known as La Familia, which has been associated in the past with racism and violence.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.