TEL AVIV — Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated Monday afternoon outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the judicial overhaul advanced by his government. Israel’s major labor union Histadrut called Monday morning for a general strike across the country.

On Monday evening, Netanyahu finally decided to pause the legislation’s progress, according to a statement by the nationalist Jewish Power party, one of the coalition partners. Ynet reported earlier in the day that associates of Netanyahu had already informed the US administration of Netanyahu’s intentions.

According to a statement from Jewish Power, the legislation would be delayed until the next legislative term.

Israel has never experienced such incredible scenes, not even on the night of the decisive UN vote approving the establishment of the state 75 years ago. That historic decision sent tens of thousands of jubilant soon-to-be-citizens into the streets. Now the children and grandchildren of those joyful celebrants are back in the streets — not to dance, but to protest the hard-line government of Netanyahu that they fear is crushing the hard-won democracy established by those founders.