Tel Aviv: On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon his proposed overhaul of the judiciary.
Although the embattled PM has already suspended reforms and promised to talk to the opposition, protesters see this as a ploy.
Protest organizers estimated that 250,000 people were present in Tel Aviv and 450,000 throughout Israel, while Israeli media outlets reported that between 140,000 and 175,000 people were present.
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The protest was "one of the largest demonstrations in Israel's history", according to a statement by the so-called "umbrella movement of resistance against dictatorship in Israel".
According to The Times of Israel, twice during the evening, protesters blocked the normally busy Ayalon Highway. Police cleared the way with water cannon.
Protests have continued in Israel since Netanyahu announced his reform plans in January. The Supreme Court's ability to review laws it considers "unfair" will be constrained by these legal changes, which will give Israel's parliament the ability to override Supreme Court decisions by a simple majority vote.
Following the dismissal of his Defense Minister Yoav Galant for openly criticizing the reform package, Netanyahu announced on Monday that he would suspend the reform plan.
While Netanyahu framed the gap as an opportunity to strike a deal with the opposition, his hardline coalition partners in the "Jewish Power" party have made reforms a key demand. If these six MPs leave the coalition, Netanyahu will lose his majority, forcing him to call for fresh elections.
The Umbrella Movement, on the other hand, sees the suspension as an attempt by Netanyahu to buy some time before the public anger subsides.
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The group claimed that Netanyahu's attempt to put the protesters to sleep was unsuccessful. "Until we can make sure that the State of Israel is a democracy, we will be in the streets."
