Tel Aviv [Israel], March 27 : Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce that he's freezing legislation on judicial reform in a statement on Monday after President Isaac Herzog called on the coalition to stop the legislation of the judicial reform on Monday morning after a night of major protests, The Jerusalem Post reported.
"Tonight we saw some very difficult scenes. 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," President Isaac Herzog said.
"For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I am calling on you (PM Benjamin Netanyahu) 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," he added.
The Religious Zionist party said in a statement, "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 on Israeli democracy."
National Security Minister and Otmza Yehudit leader MK Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened on Monday to quit the government if the judicial reform legislation freezes, according to reports by KAN and Channel 12 News, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with coalition party leaders on Monday morning in order to decide whether or not to push forwards with the controversial bill to remake the Judicial Appointments Committee, 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, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Ben-Gvir was heard shouting from within the meeting that the government should not back down.
If Ben-Gvir leaves the government and quits the coalition, the coalition will no longer have a majority and the government will likely fall, The Jerusalem Post reported.
On the other hand, thousands protested throughout the night. 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.
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