Netanyahu to make statement to nation as bipartisan MKs call for judicial compromise

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to make a statement to the nation at 8.10 p.m, his office announces.

The statement comes amid mounting opposition to his government’s plans for a wide-ranging judicial overhaul that critics say will undermine democracy.

It also comes after opposition MK Benny Gantz issues a plea for dialogue, warning that Israel is quickly descending into a civil war.

Just ahead of the announcement, four lawmakers from Gantz’s National Unity party and Netanyahu’s Likud issue a joint statement calling on all parties to reach a broad agreement.

“The State of Israel is currently facing many complex challenges in the fields of society, the economy and its international status and is facing serious attacks and security challenges more serious than ever before,” says the statement signed by Likud’s Danny Dannon and Yuli Edelstein along with National Unity’s Gadi Eisenkot and Chili Tropper.

“Above all of these hovers, like a dark shadow, the difficult controversy that tears and divides the public in Israel regarding the various proposals concerning the Israeli justice system. We have no doubt that although the disputes are difficult, we must act in every way to reach broad agreements,” the statement says.

They urge all members of the Knesset to support a compromise proposal put forward by President Isaac Herzog.