Live: Netanyahu delays judicial overhaul after strikes cripple Israel
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Opposition leader Yair Lapid hailed demonstrators gathered outside the Knesset, declaring: "We won't shut up and we won't rest until the State of Israel has a constitution.
"There's one thing the extremists in the government didn't take into consideration: you," he told protesters.
"They thought they would confuse you with the lies... but then the opposite happened. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis went out. What happened in the streets will be written in history."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged protesters across the political spectrum to "behave responsibly".
"I call on all the demonstrators in Jerusalem, on the right and the left, to behave responsibly and not to act violently. We are brotherly people," he tweeted on Monday.
Right-wing activists were using Whatsapp and other social media platforms to call on supporters to take up arms and use vehicles to attack anti-government protesters, according to Haaretz.
In one group, known as 'The Unapologetic Right', a member called on protesters to bring "gasoline, explosives, tractors, guns and knives".
Israel's police will boost its forces in anticipation of far-right groups protesting in support of the judicial overhaul.
The far-right La Familia group, which has a history of violence, announced that it will join protests on Monday evening outside the Knesset building in Jerusalem.
Police announced that it would increase presence in the area, with protesters against the reforms expected to gather there too.
Several coalition parliamentarians and pro-government voices shared posters urging to take to the streets in Jerusalem.
Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, called on followers to gather outside parliament and "not to give up on the people's choice". Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister's son, also urged people to join demonstrations.
Thousands of protesters have gathered outside the Knesset in Jerusalem in opposition to the government's judicial reforms.
All streets surrounding the parliament building have been blocked, according to Israeli media, and a large police presence is noticeable as thousands continue to flock to the area.
McDonald's in Israel has announced a two-hour closure between midday and 2pm over the judicial reforms.
In a tweet, the company said it would be implementing the shutdown in coordination with the Histadrut, the country's main trade union federation.
Striking airport workers have closed down Ben Gurion Airport in opposition to Netanyahu's judicial reforms.
The move has left many passengers adrift, the strike coming very abruptly and ruining travel plans.
"We got the information about the strike only now, the kids are very disappointed," said Moran, who was flying to Greece with her family.
"This is not they way to do things, they should let us know about this things in advance."
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has told Netanyahu that he will resign if the judicial reforms are halted.
According to Haaretz, he said he would resign from his position in the government but would continue to support the coalition from the outside.
One of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lawyers has announced he will not be representing his client unless the judicial reforms are shelved.
Boaz Ben Zur spoke with Netanyahu on Monday morning according to Israeli media.
Ben Zur is a member of the legal team representing Netanyahu in a number of corruption cases. He was representing the prime minister in Case 4000 - involving breach of trust charges - which is considered the most serious of the three cases.
Translation: The demonstrators begin to arrive in Jerusalem by train and chant "democracy"
Translation: Hello Jerusalem
As anger has swept across Israel at the government's judicial reforms and much of the economy has been paralysed, a number of ministers and supporters of the government previously backing the reforms have started voicing their opposition to the measures:
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Economy Minister Nir Barkat - a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party - has publicly called for his allies to "unite behind" Netanyahu and "support him in stopping the legislation", warning that they must "not bring about the overthrow of the right-wing government with our own hands".
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Moshe Solomon, deputy speaker of the Knesset and MK with the far-right Religious Zionism party, said the legislation should be paused in the wake of military reservists joining the protests. "As a major general in the reserves, I cannot accept threats from within the military system," he tweeted. "The security of the country cannot be compromised by power struggles and political games. I am calling on Bezalel Smotrich, the party leader, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister. If only for a short time, I support a delay in the legislative process."
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Ron Dermer, the minister of strategic affairs and a close ally of Netanyahu, also reportedly called for a halt in the legislation, according to Israeli media.
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Miki Zohar, the culture and sports minister, announced on Sunday night that he would back a freeze in the legislation. "The reform of the judicial system is necessary and essential, but when a home is on fire, we don't ask who is right, but pour water and save its occupants," Zohar wrote. "If the prime minister decides to stop the legislation to [heal] the rift that has formed in the nation, we must support his position."
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Amichai Chikli, the diaspora minister, announced that he was in favour of calls for dialogue by opposition politicians.
The chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee has called for counter-protests after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a "freeze" to the judicial reforms.
Simcha Rothman, one of the key movers of the reforms, tweeted a poster calling for protests in Jerusalem on Monday evening, warning that "the right wing camp is rising".
"The elections will not be stolen! The people demand a radical overhaul of the justice system," he tweeted.
"We must not accept a reality in which there are people whose voice does not count. Go out and return the voice - to the people."
At the core of the legislation are proposals aimed at ending or limiting the ability of the Supreme Court to overrule decisions made by the parliament.
Perhaps the most contentious measure is to allow a majority in the Knesset – 61 lawmakers out of 120 – the power to reinstate laws annulled by the Supreme Court.
This means that even legislation found to violate Israel's Basic Laws - the closest thing the country has to a constitution - could still be passed.
Another controversial element of the legislation is a proposed change to the makeup of the panel that selects judges for Israeli courts.
At present, the Judicial Selection Committee is comprised of nine members, and the appointment of a judge to the courts - apart from the Supreme Court - requires a simple majority of the committee members present, providing no less than seven members participate in the vote. An appointment to the Supreme Court requires the support of seven out of the nine committee members.
The nine members at present include the supreme court president, two other supreme court justices selected by the justices of the Supreme Court, the justice minister, another cabinet minister; two members of the Knesset chosen by the Knesset, and two members of the Israel Bar Association.
As a result, the government originally proposed changes so that the panel would include three cabinet ministers, two coalition lawmakers, and two public figures chosen by the government, meaning a 7-4 vote majority for pro-government members.
However, following pressure from the US, changes were made to the bill that now envisages the panel being made up of three cabinet ministers, three coalition lawmakers, three judges, and two opposition lawmakers, giving it a 6-5 vote majority instead.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will freeze the judicial reforms.
"Netanyahu told the head of the coalition that he had decided to stop the legislation," Kan reported.
One of the first unions to respond to calls for a general strike was the aviation union, which said on Monday that no planes would be allowed to leave or land from Ben-Gurion airport.
Ben-Gurion, located near Lydda, also known as Lod, is Israel's most important artery. Some 73,000 people were expected to travel through it on Monday alone.
Earlier this month, protesters massed on the road outside the airport, forcing US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to hold meetings and a news conference there because he was unable to leave.
"There are no more departures. I call on the prime minister to stop and delay everything until after the holidays," said Pinchas Idan, head of the aviation union.
"As a Likud member I am telling you: you must stop the way you are leading us, if you really are. I am also calling on Yariv Levin to stop. Only through dialogue can we accomplish anything."
