Israel’s Netanyahu expected to freeze judicial reform plans

After a decision to sack his defence minister for opposing the plans sparked mass protests across the country overnight, Israel s embattled prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce a halt to his far-right plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Sources in Netanyahu's Likud party reported on Monday morning that the prime minister was expected to announce a freeze to the bitterly contested legislation that would limit the powers of the country's supreme court in a televised address at 10.30 am 8.30 am BST.

Netanyahu's statement will follow one of the most dramatic nights in Israeli history, as thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the firing of defense minister Yoav Galant, who became the first senior governing coalition official to make a public call to scrap the proposals on Sunday night.

President Isaac Herzog wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Monday morning, saying: For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I call for you to stop the legislative process immediately. Supporters of the changes, introduced shortly after the new government entered office in December, say they are needed to balance the branches of government and combat a perceived leftwing bias in the court's rulings. The move could help Netanyahu evade charges in his corruption trial, according to critics who say they will give politicians too much power over the judiciary.

The prime minister has reportedly held talks with the opposition geared towards a compromise after being taken aback by the scale of the protest movement against the proposals, including opposition from the military and the vital hi-tech sector.

He appears to have been hostage to far-right coalition partners spearheading the plans, who have threatened to bring down the government if their demands are not met.