Caution prevails Tuesday, March 28 in Israel the day after Benjamin Netanyahu announced a "pause" in the justice reform project that deeply divides the country, while everything remains to be done to allow a way out of the crisis.

The prime minister "was able to transform with nice words a crushing defeat into a draw," Nahum Barnea, a columnist for the daily Yediot Aharonot, said Tuesday. "Whatever he says or will say, few people believe him; I believe that confidence in him is not great even among the right-wing demonstrators who came by the thousands yesterday," he said, referring to a first counter-demonstration held Monday night in Jerusalem by supporters of the reform.

The justice reform project has been denounced in the streets since its announcement in early January by one of Israel's most right-wing governments, and has given birth to one of the largest popular mobilization movements in the country.

For Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the reform aims to rebalance powers by reducing the prerogatives of the Supreme Court, which the executive considers politicized, to the benefit of Parliament. Critics, on the contrary, believe that the reform risks leading to an illiberal or authoritarian drift and insist on the scale of the demonstrations against the reform for weeks.

A "chance for a real dialogue"

After a day of intensifying protests and the emergence of tensions within the majority, Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a speech Monday night that he had "decided on a pause" in the examination of the project in order to give "a chance to a real dialogue" with a view to passing a more consensual text during the summer parliamentary session scheduled to open on April 30.

Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets Sunday night and Monday after Sunday announced the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had demanded a freeze on reform the day before in the face of a large movement of reservists refusing to fulfill their military obligations.

On Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for "an immediate halt" to legislation on the reform.

Reacting quickly to Netanyahu's announcement, the two main opposition leaders, centrists Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, said they were ready to talk with the government, but under the aegis of the president, while warning the government against deception.

"Better late than never," Gantz said. "We will immediately report to the president's residence with our hand outstretched," he added, urging Benjamin Netanyahu "to stop the threats" and send a team to Isaac Herzog's home.

On Tuesday, political commentators were skeptical of Benjamin Netanyahu's intentions.

A militia under the authority of Itamar Ben Gvir

His speech followed lengthy negotiations with his far-right partners, including Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who reportedly threatened to leave the government if there was a pause in reform.

Itamar Ben Gvir's party announced before Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration the signing of an agreement between the two men, granting the minister new prerogatives, including the creation of a civilian "national guard" under his authority, details of which have not been released.

"This is a victory for the protesters but the one who really made Netanyahu bend and trampled on him was Itamar Ben Gvir [...] he got from him a scandalous promise: the creation of a militia that will be under his command," Yossi Verter, Haaretz's political correspondent, said on the front page of the left-leaning daily on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, head of the far-right religious Zionism party, said Monday after Netanyahu's speech that "reform will move forward and the necessary changes in the judiciary and Israeli democracy will happen."

One of the collectives behind the protests against the reform announced the continuation of the protest "as long as the judicial coup is not completely stopped".

Two polls broadcast Monday night on Israeli television show a loss of confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, which would lose 7 seats in the event of elections while the ruling coalition has only a slim majority in parliament, with 64 deputies (out of 120).

With AFP

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