Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce Monday that he is suspending his coalition's judicial overhaul legislation, officials said.
for the legislation's suspension, saying the plan "created an internal rift that poses a clear and immediate threat for Israel's national security."More than 100,000 Israeli protesters blocked Tel Aviv's main highway for hours Sunday night and thousands more demonstrated in front of Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem and in other cities across the country.
The private sector as well as workers in all government ministries and municipal authorities joined the strike. McDonald's even announced it was closing all of its locations in the country. As a result of the strike, Israel's international airport and kindergartens were shut down and hospitals started dealing only with emergency cases.Netanyahu held intense discussions with members of his coalition government, aides and family members on Sunday night, Likud officials said.
In a dramatic turn later Monday, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who had also threatened to resign, issued a statement stressing that he would respect any decision Netanyahu makes regarding the judicial overhaul. He also said he would work to stabilize the coalition in order to prevent the government from collapsing. Levin's announcement gave Netanyahu important backing for suspending the legislation.
Senior Likud members are pressing Netanyahu to reverse his decision to fire Gallant. Netanyahu hasn't sent Gallant a formal letter firing him, which means the 48-hour process of the decision coming into effect hasn't started yet.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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