Israel’s judicial overhaul delayed amid political upheaval

AMNA NAWAZ: Now our other lead story: unprecedented upheaval in Israel.

After weeks of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his fragile far right coalition, this evening, Netanyahu said he would delay, but not cancel proposed changes to take power from the judiciary.

His supporters say the legislation would rein in an out-of-control bench.

Opponents call it a fundamental attack on Israeli democracy.

Special correspondent Nurit Ben is in Jerusalem for us tonight.

NURIT BEN: Three months into historic mass protests across the country that have rocked the nation to its core, scrambled its economy and military and widened a deepening rift in Israeli society, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced tonight a temporary pause to his proposed judicial overhaul at the heart of it.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator): From a national responsibility, from the will to avoid the rift within the people, I decided to suspend the second and third reading from the law in this Knesset tenure in order to give time to get to a broad consensus to pass the legislation during the next Knesset.

NURIT BEN: His prime-time statement came after a 10-hour delay, locked in negotiations with far right members of his coalition, the result a deal not likely to satisfy all opponents of the overhaul.

Legislation will be paused until the next Knesset session in early may, in exchange, a green light for far right party leader and Minister of Internal Security Itamar Ben-Gvir to form a civil national guard.

Leading up to it all today, a thunderous sound of chants, horns and drums filling Israeli cities across the country for the 13th week in a row, protesters making their way to Jerusalem, where over 100,000 people gathered outside the Supreme Court and Parliament.

DANIEL, Protester: We won't let our judicial system be trampled on.

We care about our judicial system and the fact that it has no political agenda, neither left or no rights.

NURIT BEN: And an unprecedented general strike since called off, the head of Israel's largest labor union side by side with top private sector leaders announcing a shutdown, planes grounded, schools and universities closed.

It all came hours after a chaotic night across the country.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis quite literally leaving their beds to join unplanned protests after Netanyahu fired his defense minister for calling to pause the legislation.

That decision to oust him couldn't have come at a more sensitive time, when hundreds of reservists have withdrawn from military duty in protest of the overhaul.

Steps from the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, the anger and energy was palpable.

GRACE, Protester: Twenty-five years, I came from London from a good democracy to a good democracy, Israel.

It feels like it's been hijacked by a group of extremists trying to derail this country.

YIFAT, Protester: I'm here for my children to -- they are our soldiers.

My grandparents came from Romania after the Holocaust.

And they build the country.

And I'm here for them also.

NURIT BEN: It's tough to overstate just what a decisive moment this really is for Israel's future as a country, for its society, its security, its economy.

The masses of protesters here in Jerusalem and across the country say they're fighting for no less than democracy itself, just before what they fear will be the point of no return.

EREL MARGALIT, Former Israeli Parliament Member: It's a moment where the pilots and the doctors and the high-tech entrepreneurs and the students on the campuses and the small business owners and the nurses and everyone are coming out and saying, you will not derail our democracy.

NURIT BEN: Tonight, the collision course between sectors of Israeli society may just begin to slow down, but the weeks ahead will reveal if a true new path forward can be found, or if it's just a moment of calm before the next storm.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nurit Ben in Jerusalem.