Report: Netanyahu had meant to announce legislation pause, Levin threatened to quit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had originally intended to announce during yesterday night’s primetime speech that judicial overhaul legislation was being paused, Channel 13 news reports.

The unsourced report says Netanyahu had meant to accept the president’s offer to pause legislation for some 10 days to allow negotiations.

But it says Justice Minister Yair Levin threatened to resign if the bills were paused for even a single day, leading Netanyahu to nix the plan.

Netanyahu and Levin’s offices both deny the claims as “fake news,” but the network says it stands behind it.

Channel 13 also reports that the bipartisan group of MKs who called for talks yesterday was originally larger, but that a number of Likud MKs withdrew their support at the last minute, fearing it would be seen as a victory for opponents, with ostensible divisions within Likud.