Representatives from coalition and opposition parties gathered at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening to begin negotiations over the government’s contentious judicial overhaul plans, in the first face-to-face talks between the sides after three turbulent months of a legislative blitz and nationwide mass protests, Times of Israel reports.
A statement from the President’s Office released after the 90-minute meeting said the discussions were conducted in “a positive atmosphere,” and that further meetings would be held on Wednesday.
The meeting included a delegation representing Likud and teams for the Yesh Atid and National Unity parties. Other opposition parties, Yisrael Beytenu and Labor, skipped Tuesday’s meeting as they continued to express doubts that Likud was seeking to negotiate in good faith, but indicated they could send their own teams soon.
Some of those in favor of Likud’s proposed overhaul and against any compromise gathered to protest outside the President’s Residence, while others who believe the plan must be thrown out entirely also continued to rally amid the talks.
