Image source, REUTERS/Ammar Awad

"It's obviously now about political survival" for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Prof Yuval Shany, senior research fellow from Israel Democracy Institute, has told BBC News.

Shany says the PM's real problem is "he will be damned whether he does stop the reform, but he will also be damned if he does not".

The country is at a "standing halt" so the pressure on Netanyahu is such that "he has really no choice politically but to stop, or at least pause, the legislation", he says.

However, Shany adds, that could cause "some extreme right-wing factions to desert the coalition and maybe his minister of justice to resign".

This morning, Netanyahu's coalition government has survived a no-confidence motion from the opposition, but Shany says this is "not meaningful" and describes it as "a routine vote - as long as the coalition is still intact the coalition can easily defeat it".

McDonald's will begin closing all its Israel branches in Israel from noon local time, the fast food chain said in a tweet, external.

Under the title "general strike", it said the move was taking place alongside action by the trade union federation Histadrut, which called a general strike this morning.

Tom Bateman
Reporting from Jerusalem

Hundreds of protesters are outside the Israeli parliament chanting "democracy", while the police stand on the other side of barricades.

Two water cannon trucks and heavily armed border forces are also nearby.

With so much energy now built up in these demonstrations and dissent reaching unprecedented levels, everything now rests on what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says.

It feels almost impossible for him to take all the heat out of this immediately.

There are further signs he remains caught between the opposition and those of his far-right cabinet minsters still pushing the judicial reforms.

The parliamentary committee driving forward the legislation advanced it this morning for final readings in the chamber, while Netanyahu has put off his national TV address - leaving only uncertainty while people take to the streets again.

The labour unions announced a general strike and the Israel airports authority is saying there are no departures from Ben Gurion airport.

This is opposition on a scale never seen before, now aiming to shut down the country if Netanyahu doesn’t back down.

By Monday's early hours, protesters across Israel occupied the streets in the latest of a series of nationwide anti-government protests.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

Here's a bit more detail on Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s statement, which we reported earlier.

After protests continued overnight and into the early morning, Herzog went on Twitter, external to raise his concerns and called on Netanyahu to halt the reforms for the sake of the “unity of the people of Israel”:

Image source, Reuters

We’ve been hearing from Israeli political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin, who was at the protests in Tel Aviv yesterday.

Scheindlin describes hearing protesters chant about protecting the independence of the judiciary, strengthening democracy and calls for a constitution.

“The protesters are all unified under the banner of democracy,” she told BBC News.

She says there is now a “sense of panic” that Netanyahu is unable to guide the government “in a way that is logical and safe for the country”.

Image source, Reuters

Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition in parliament and former prime minister, has called on Benjamin Netanyahu to “cancel” the dismissal of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Lapid told a meeting of lawmakers from his Yesh Atid party that Israel could not afford to change its defence minister at this time.

“Let us go to the president's residence, and start a national dialogue at the end of which we will have a constitution based on the Declaration of Independence, and a state in which we all live together with mutual respect," he said.

He added that the prime minister had sacked Gallant “for one reason only - he was telling the truth”.

The defence minister, a member of Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party, had called for the judicial overhaul to be stopped to leave more time for dialogue, warning of a “clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state”.

Image source, Getty Images

As we reported earlier, departures from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport have been suspended as part of the trade union’s nationwide protests against Israeli government’s judicial reforms.

The head of the Histadrut labour union Israel, Arnon Bar-David, had called for a nationwide strike earlier to start on Monday.

The airport workers union was the first to take action.

Only a few minutes after the call, departures from the airport were suspended. The head of workers union at Ben Gurion Airport, Pinchas Idan, said “I ordered the immediate halt of takeoffs at the airport,” according to Times of Israel.

The Israel Medical Association and the the Federation of Local Authorities have also said they are joining the strike, according to Israeli media.

Stay with us and we'll keep you updated on this fast-moving story.

Image source, Reuters

Anger over the Israeli government’s judicial reforms could be the “beginning of the end” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a former government spokesperson says.

Uri Dromi says he suspects Netanyahu will halt the legislation but will face "much broader repercussions".

Dromi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Netanyahu "went too far" and "unleashed a volcano of energies which say enough is enough".

"I think this really signifies the beginning of the end for Netanyahu," Dromi adds.

Image source, REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

If you're just joining us or need a recap, here's where things stand after intense protests overnight in Israel against planned reforms to the judicial system:

• We're hearing reports that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a planned public statement - some Israeli media are suggesting he may be facing a revolt from far-right parties in his coalition if he halts the plans
• An immediate general strike has been called for by the head of Israel's largest trade union group, with departures from Tel Aviv's main airport suspended
• Water cannon have been used by the police against protesters overnight, after tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest at the sacking of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
• Gallant has spoken out against plans to overhaul the justice system, which would see the government take full control over the committee that appoints judges and allow parliament

• Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has added his voice to calls for the prime minister to halt the reforms
• But far-right coalition partner Itamar Ben-Gvir said the government should not "surrender to anarchy"
• The White House in the US has released a statement urging Israel to find a compromise as soon as possible

The head of the Histadrut labour union, Arnon Bar-David, called on Monday morning for a general strike - starting as soon as today - if the proposals were not halted.

Mass protests have been taking place in Israel over the government's plans to take full control of the committee which appoints judges and give the Israeli parliament the Knesset authority to override Supreme Court decisions with a basic majority.

Police and soldiers have been using water cannon against protesters outside the prime minister's home in Jerusalem.

Departures from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport have been suspended as trade unions protest against the Israeli government’s judicial reforms.

We're hearing that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a planned public statement, in which he had been expected to talk publicly about his much-contested plans to overhaul Israel's justice system.

Some Israeli media had suggested he may halt the plans due to protests overnight, or at least offer some kind of compromise, but pressure from within his own coalition government might make that tricky.

There was no immediate confirmation about the statement from Netanyahu's office, Reuters reports.

Image source, Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu also faces pressure from within his government to push ahead with his plans to change the country's justice system.

Israeli far-right coalition partner Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the country's minister of national security, has tweeted , externalthat the government should continue with its proposals and must not "surrender to anarchy" following the protests overnight.

"The reform of the justice system must not be stopped," he added.

Image source, REUTERS/Al Drago

Let's get some reaction now from the US.

The White House has released a statement sharing "deep concern" over developments in Israel.

"Democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship," the statement says.

It adds that fundamental changes to a democratic system should be "pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support".

The White House urges Israeli leaders to "find a compromise as soon as possible" and says US support for Israel's security and democracy "remains ironclad".

Raffi Berg
Digital Middle East editor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to make an important announcement in the next hour, as speculation mounts that he will halt the controversial judicial reform process, according to Israeli media reports.

It is unclear exactly what he will propose, or whether his steps will satisfy the opposition.

It comes as the crisis which has gripped Israel for weeks intensifies, with the dramatic sacking of his defence minister on Sunday who had called for the process to be suspended.

Meanwhile amid mounting uncertainty, a parliamentary committee voted to proceed with the next stage of the reform process shortly before Mr Netanyahu was due to speak.

Image source, Getty Images

Some Israeli soldiers believe the country has to have a solid democracy and independent judiciary to be able to defend their actions to the international community.

And so some think the new law is against democratic values.

In early March, 40 pilots of an elite squadron in the Israeli Air Force decided not to attend training in protest at the judicial reforms, but were convinced by commanders to continue.

Some members of the Israeli Air Force who spoke to Israeli media said they were not "prepared to serve a dictatorial regime".

Before his dismissal, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said members of the Israeli Defence Forces “were angry and disappointed, with an intensity he had never encountered before”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been on trial facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three cases since the witnesses testimony began on 5 April 2021.

He denies any wrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a "witch hunt".

After winning Israel's elections for a second time, Netanyahu decided to pass a judicial reform plan.

That was, according to those who have have taken to the streets, a plan to protect himself from a possible court judgement which will end his term as prime minister.

The plan announced on 4 January is:

• The reforms would give the parliament authority to override Supreme Court decisions with a basic majority
• They would make it very difficult to declare a prime minister unfit for office and remove them from power
• Netanyahu says courts are overreaching their powers and the reforms will restore a balance between judiciary and executive branches

Protests have been ongoing since the beginning of this year, but they escalated last week with a vote on the law draft expected in the Knesset this Wednesday. With a 64-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament, the coalition has enough votes to pass the legislation, unless some lawmakers back down.

Image source, EPA

As military and business leaders joined the protestors voicing concerns over a “lack of international trust in the independence of Israel’s judiciary”, now-fired Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke out against the reforms too.

On Saturday, as thousands of protestors were pouring to the Knesset and Netanyahu’s house, Gallant went live on TV and called for a halt to the plans until after next month’s Independence Day holidays.

A short statement from the PM’s office on Sunday announced he had dismissed Gallant. Israeli media says sources close to Netanyahu told them: “He fired Gallant over the feeble and weak response against the refusals in the IDF [Israel Defense Forces].”

Next we'll look at why Israel's soldiers are against the plans - stay tuned.

Image source, Getty Images

It's rare that a government minister's sacking causes such widespread issues - let's take a look at what's going on here.

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister, was sacked over the weekend after speaking out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial plans to overhaul the country's justice system.

Netanyahu summoned Gallant to a meeting and told him he no longer had faith in him as defence minister.

Shortly after his dismissal, Gallant wrote on Twitter: "The state of Israel's security has always been and will always be my life's mission."

It seems the defence minister had won the backing of some fellow members of Netanyahu's Likud party, but others on the far right had called for him to go. The leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, described Gallant's sacking as a new low for the government.

Gallant's dismissal triggered this latest round of protests, which have seen police and soldiers use water cannons to deter demonstrators near Netanyahu's house. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.

• Israel defence minister fired in legal reform row

Image source, Reuters

Let's take stock of where we are this Monday.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has added his voice to calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the reforms that will limit the power of the judiciary.

In the statement, Herzog said "We have seen very difficult scenes tonight. I appeal to the Prime Minister, the members of the government and members of the coalition … For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of the responsibility we are obliged to, I call on you to stop the legislative process immediately."

Netanyahu is expected to deliver a speech this morning, according to Israeli media.

And senior military leaders will meet on Monday morning to discuss “security implications” after the sacking of the defence minister.

The protesters plan to march in front of the Israeli parliament the Knesset later today, as the leaders of the protests announced.

The judicial reform plan was actually announced in January and the country has seen protests against it since then.

But last weekend, it escalated to a crisis in the government that led to Netanyahu sacking his defense minister.

Why did that happen now?

We will explain in the next post.