Netanyahu halts judicial overhaul but fight is far from over

One word is heard more often than any other on the streets of Jerusalem these days: democratia, or democracy.

While leftwing Israelis and Palestinians have levelled criticism at the movement for defending the supreme court, which plays a major role in upholding the occupation of the Palestinian territories, the mobilisation of huge swathes of what is usually a highly polarised society is nothing short of remarkable.

Demonstrations that began in central Tel Aviv on cold and rainy Saturday nights in January, just after the new government entered office, have evolved into a mass movement unlike anything Israel has seen before.

Although the prime minister has reportedly been taken aback by the scale of the protests, and has been looking for a way to back down without destabilising his government, he resisted significant internal and international pressure to delay or compromise on the legislation.

Proponents say the changes are needed to curb the powers of the supreme court, which plays an outsized checks-and-balances role in a country with no formal constitution and only one legislative chamber.

Even as Israel grappled with nationwide upheaval, a parliamentary committee continued to push elements of the legislation forward to votes on the Knesset floor, and the far-right architects of the overhaul reiterated their determination to pass the most important elements before the Knesset breaks up for the Passover holiday on 2 April.

For both sides, the fight is far from over. The compromise raises the spectre of new elections if the government collapses through infighting. Many Israelis would dread that prospect: voters have been evenly split over whether Netanyahu is fit to lead the country in five polls since 2019.