Netanyahu delays judicial overhaul after protests

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to delay a proposed judicial overhaul for several weeks. Hundreds of thousands of workers across Israel staged a nationwide strike on the same day to protest the proposal. The plan would allow a simple majority of lawmakers to override supreme court rulings and allow politicians to appoint most court justices. The country’s largest trade union joined the monthslong demonstrations Monday and called for members across the healthcare, transit, banking, and government sectors to walk off the job.

What sparked the latest round of protests? Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday after Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, after he called for the plan to be suspended. Gallant is the most senior government official to oppose the changes publicly. Israeli military reservists have also spoken out against the proposal. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Emma Freire, Myrna Brown, and Paul Butler’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Israel’s judicial reform.