Netanyahu slows down the legal reform process.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has softened his proposed reform to the judicial system following protests by hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the past two months. Netanyahu's coalition government issued a statement on Monday that contained several changes to the original version of the legislation, including fewer government representatives in the Judicial Selection Committee. The Israeli PM urged parliamentary opponents of the reform to abandon their plans to boycott ratification votes, and asked them to end their calls for further protests. Netanyahu insists that he is seeking to ensure balance among government branches through his plan to change the way judges are selected, but critics have claimed the proposals risk limiting the independence of courts. Netanyahu's son, Yair Netanyahu, compared the left-wing protesters to the paramilitary wings of the Nazis in Germany and fascists in Italy during the 1930s. Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned in a video address last Wednesday that the nation risks sliding into civil war over the contentious judicial reform plan.