Workers Paralyze Israel Over Planned Judicial Revamp

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis stopped working on Monday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unprecedented plans to overhaul the country’s judicial system, paralyzing the country, Patrick Smith reported for NBC News.

Photo Insert: The scenes of unrest came subsequent to Netanyahu having fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who became the first member of his Likud Party to speak out against the changes.

This followed scenes of widespread unrest on Sunday night, after Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who became the first member of his Likud Party to speak out against the changes.

Gallant had warned that divisions over the plans threatened Israel’s security.

Netanyahu was due to speak to the nation Monday morning but TV stations later said the speech was scrapped.

Peter Lerner, head of international relations at Histadrut, the Israeli trade union umbrella group representing some 700,000 workers, tweeted a video of cheering activists. He said the group’s chairman, Arnon Bar David, had just told the meeting: “We are stopping the legal revolution.

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