National Unity party

President Isaac Herzog hosts delegations from Likud, Yesh Atid and National Unity for judicial overhaul negotiations at his residence in Jerusalem, March 28, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/ GPO)

May 23, 2023, 11:45 am

Political sources deny interim overhaul deal imminent after leak of reported proposal

Reported terms include requirement of cross-aisle support for major constitutional changes; government would be allowed to use private counsel when facing legal proceedings

By ToI Staff

Leader of the National Unity Party MK Benny Gantz speaks during a faction meeting of the National Unity Party at the Knesset, on May 1, 2023. (Yonatan SIndel/Flash90 )

May 1, 2023, 5:42 pm

Gantz: No progress in talks with government on judicial reform compromise

At weekly faction meetings, opposition leaders urge Haredi community to embrace national service or risk deepening an ‘open wound’ in society

By ToI Staff and Jeremy Sharon

Then opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and defense minister Benny Gantz (Olivier Fitoussi, Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

April 30, 2023, 11:25 pm

National Unity continues to outpoll Likud, and Gantz still favored over Netanyahu

Surveys on Kan, Channels 13 and 14 all predict current government would lose majority; respondents select National Unity leader over prime minister in head-to-head matchup

By ToI Staff

Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition's Yesh Atid party, addresses Israelis protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan, outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

April 19, 2023, 3:08 pm

Lapid urges inclusion of Haredi draft bill in overhaul talks to avoid further rift

Yesh Atid, National Unity argue that issue was mentioned by president when he laid out framework for negotiations; coalition rejects idea, claims no time

By ToI Staff

April 18, 2023, 10:50 am

‘Serious atmosphere’ but no initial agreement as overhaul talks tackle judge picks

Coalition, opposition teams hold first discussion on makeup of judicial selection panel; sides make competing offers, with gaps still significant on whether coalition gets control

By Michael Bachner

Likud minister David Amsalem on Meet the Press, April 15, 2023. (Channel 12 screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

April 15, 2023, 9:33 pm

Likud’s Amsalem calls to put Supreme Court chief, protest leaders on trial

Minister admits lacking coalition support for overhaul, vows it’ll pass; Likud’s Gotliv claims left ‘betrayed’ Israel, Obama paid Israeli news site for anti-Netanyahu stories

By ToI Staff

Protesters take part in ongoing demonstrations against the government's judicial overhaul in Tel Aviv on April 8, 2023. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

April 15, 2023, 1:04 pm

Hundreds of thousands set to protest judicial overhaul at 150 locations for 15th week

Poll finds just 52% of Likud voters would cast ballots for party again, majority believe economic crisis should be government’s priority rather than attempts to weaken judiciary

By ToI Staff and Jeremy Sharon

Tens of thousands of people protest against the government's judicial overhaul legislation during the Passover holiday in Tel Aviv, April 8, 2023. (Gitai Palti)

April 13, 2023, 10:55 pm

Protest leaders vow intensified civil disobedience if overhaul push restarts

‘Resistance will be stronger’ if government tries sneaking judicial appointments bill through Knesset, organizers vow, warning that attempts to lull opposition to sleep won’t work

By Jeremy Sharon

April 11, 2023, 2:51 am

Judicial overhaul negotiation teams hold talks on anchoring fundamental rights in law

Coalition and opposition teams say they hope to reach agreement on a comprehensive reform package, instead of the government’s previous piecemeal approach to constitutional revamp

By Jeremy Sharon

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni, left, speaks with then-defense minister Benny Gantz in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, June 1, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

March 30, 2023, 10:19 am

Senior ultra-Orthodox MK said wooing Gantz to join government to ‘balance’ far right

UTJ’s Moshe Gafni reportedly makes offer during recent meeting, is rebuffed by leader of centrist National Unity party

By ToI Staff

Left: Opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks during a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on March 20, 2023. (Erik Marmor/Flash90). Right: Transportation Minister Miri Regev attends a conference in Tel Aviv on March 22, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

March 23, 2023, 5:48 pm

Lapid rebuffs Regev request for joint call against protesting on Independence Day

Opposition leader says won’t pretend country ‘celebrating together’ on upcoming national holidays after petition to pause demonstrations on Memorial Day wins broad Knesset support

By Ash Obel

Israelis protest against the government and its planned judicial overhaul, Tel Aviv, January 28, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

February 7, 2023, 6:39 am

In the Knesset and in the streets, the leaders of the Israeli center-left are MIA

Opponents of the judicial overhaul offer no alternative, no vision and no strategy. These are given to a political movement by its leaders, which the center-left doesn’t have

By Haviv Rettig Gur

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, January 22, 2023. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

January 23, 2023, 6:40 pm

Netanyahu: We’ll fight ‘all illegal building’ in West Bank – Israeli and Palestinian

Gantz calls Smotrich a ‘Trojan horse’ in Defense Ministry; Smotrich says it is ‘parts of the opposition’ that are behaving like Trojan horses

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Israelis protest against the government, in Tel Aviv, on January 7, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

January 13, 2023, 3:48 pm

To succeed, anti-government protests need to draw religious moderates

Criticism of the coalition’s radical policies is growing even among those who voted for it; organizers of Saturday’s demos must not alienate those vital potential supporters

By Shalom Yerushalmi

Defense Minister Benny Gantz during a vote in the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

January 5, 2023, 3:32 pm

Gantz urges Netanyahu to form joint team to shape judicial reform

National Unity leader warns government’s current plans will leave Israel a ‘hollow’ democracy, says working together will ensure broad consensus on changes

By Carrie Keller-Lynn and ToI Staff