![]() ![]() "Millions of citizens who have protested until now will not give up.”Ī flurry of phone calls between rival opposition leaders followed Netanyahu's announcement and lasted into Tuesday morning, with several working groups named as the protests subsided and Israel's largest labor union called off its general strike. “The protesters who take to the streets are not stupid,” the group known as the Umbrella Movement of Resistance against Dictatorship said in a statement. A key group, however, declared it would hold a new protest later Tuesday and again on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, which has been its practice in the last three months. Some anti-government protesters stepped aside, for the moment at least, but made clear their distrust of Netanyahu and his allies. "We have to figure out together how to fix the situation, how to live together.” “I feel good today, everything calmed down from yesterday,” said Maor Daniel, also from Tel Aviv. The pause gave many Israelis time to consider the challenge ahead. Netanyahu over the years "promised us a lot but didn’t always fulfill, unfortunately.” “I feel relief but with doubt," Fega Gutman, Tel Aviv resident, said Tuesday. Netanyahu leads the most right-wing government in Israeli history and and his allies have vowed to enact the legislation. But it failed to address the underlying issues that have polarized Israelis. ![]() His announcement appeared to calm some of the tensions that have fueled months of unrest. Netanyahu spoke after tens of thousands of people demonstrated outside the parliament building in Jerusalem. In his address, the premier said he wanted “to avoid civil war” and would seek a compromise with political opponents. "And Netanyahu, who is very experienced, understood that now is the time for correction." “He understood that he’s in a dead end,” said Yohanan Plesner, president of Israel Democracy Institute. Within hours, analysts pointed out that firing his defense minister Sunday night heightened the outrage and sank Netanyahu's approval among his own Likud party - which left Israel's longest-serving leader with few choices. Netanyahu in a prime-time speech on Monday night acknowledged the divisions roiling the nation and announced a monthlong delay for the legislation. Three months of demonstrations against the overhaul plan intensified this week and Israel’s main trade union declared a general strike, leading to chaos that shut down much of the country and threatened to paralyze the economy. ![]() TEL AVIV, Israel - Israel’s political factions opposed to embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began setting up negotiating teams Tuesday after he paused a controversial judicial overhaul plan that had triggered unprecedented street protests and a spiraling domestic crisis.īut compromise seemed elusive and Netanyahu's legacy was on the line in a standoff over the fundamental issue of what kind of country Israel shoule be - and positions only appear to have hardened. ![]()
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