Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a statement this evening (Wednesday) which could pave the way for negotiations between the coalition and opposition on the government’s proposed judicial reforms.
President Isaac Herzog spoke on the subject at the closing ceremony of the IAF pilots’ course and said that “the State of Israel, Israeli society, all of us &mdash are in a difficult hour of an internal, deep, and serious crisis that threatens us all. It threatens Israel’s internal resilience and solidarity. It is dangerous, very dangerous. I say from here to the citizens of Israel on this difficult and painful day: I hear your voice, my brothers and sisters, the voices of patriotic Israeli citizens who are fearful for Israeli democracy. I see the protests, the anxiety and the fear that comes from the depths of your hearts &mdash a fear that I also expressed regarding the legislation as it is being presented now. I feel very well the depth of pain, and the depth of concern for the fate of the country.”
“We could descend into a terrible abyss – but on the other hand, we can reach a solution with a broad consensus. I will not let our State of Israel – which belongs to all of us – reach the point of no return, I will not let this historic disaster happen. I will never give up any part of Israeli society – nor on the chance to reach a broad consensus. I know that many, many, many of you yearn for this and I am with you. I am anxious about our common destiny, anxious for our country, whose very establishment was a clear miracle, and whose success is the fruit of all our labor,” the president said.
Herzog again called for agreements to be reached on the the reform. “Giving up is an easy solution, but it’s not a workable plan. For the past two months I’ve been looking for an opportunity in the midst of the crisis, I believe with all my heart that it is possible to turn this moment of crisis into a defining constitutional moment. A moment in which we preserve for generations our democracy, the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the rule of the law, human rights, and the checks and balances between the branches of government. I believe that it is possible to turn the ground which is burning under our feet into fertile soil ripe for agreements – that will bring stability to the State of Israel for years and generations, and will reflect in the deepest way the democratic and Jewish principles of our country – that appear in a clear and binding manner in the Declaration of Independence.”

Earlier, National Unity party chairman MK Benny Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the legislation on the reform of the judicial system and enter into immediate negotiations.
“This is a real emergency. I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu and I also appealed to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana: close the Knesset plenum now and do not open it until we calm the tensions. Stop everything and we will drive from here to the president’s residence in Jerusalem, and we will decide that we will talking now. We have an opportunity to shape the constitutional life of the country by consensus. I know that the chances of success in negotiations are not high, I know that the walls are high and the gaps are large – but history will not forgive those who do not try to prevent a civil war. We have nothing to lose by talking – we have a lot to lose if the situation continues to deteriorate,” Gantz claimed.
He added, “My friends, we as public representatives have a responsibility – today is no longer an ordinary day, these days are not ordinary days, and extraordinary actions are required. Stop everything – and show up at the president’s residence tonight. And I call mainly to Netanyahu: Don’t be the one who enables the destruction. Close the plenum now, send Yariv Levin and Simcha Rothman to the president’s residence, and call for an end to the agitation and violence of ministers whose aim is to burn Israeli society with blood, fire, and smoke. In the name of the builders of the land, in the name of the survivors of the Holocaust, in the name of the soldiers who fell and were wounded in defense of the homeland. In the name of history, and above all, In the name of the future.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Gantz and said: “My door is open, come now.”
Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana told Gantz: “I welcome your appeal, and any sincere desire to talk. The Knesset is the home of the entire nation and as such – it must remain open, even and perhaps especially during times of disagreement. It will not be not closed even if there are those who seek to prevent it from acting on the decision of the public through a majority of its elected representatives.”
“As mentioned, your initiative is welcome, and for that the door of the speaker’s office is open to you tonight, at any hour. I would be happy to go with you to the president’s house or any other place to start a real conversation, without preconditions. I await your reply,” Ohana said.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee MK Simcha Rothman also responded to Gantz and said: “MK Benny Gantz, let’s set a place and time and sit down to talk, without preconditions.”