“I’ve stopped the judicial legislation for three months seeking consensus from the other side. Unfortunately, not getting it. Then brought in a relatively minor part of the reform and passed it. I’m still going to give it several months to try to get another consensus. It would probably be about the composition of the committee that elects judges,” the leader told Bloomberg. “That’s basically what’s left.”

The reform package has split the nation and triggered one of the biggest protest movements in Israel’s history since being unveiled in January.

“I don’t think we should move from one extreme where we have perhaps the most activist judicial court on the planet to get to a point where the legislature or Knesset can just knock out any decision that the court makes. There has to be a balance. That’s what we’re trying to restore. I’m absolutely sure that Israel will come out stable, successful and democratic – in my view, more democratic,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said he believed that the deep divides laid bare by the controversial reform can be healed.

“I think right now what you’re seeing is the natural conflict between two opposing views that have not yet meshed, but they will mesh,” he said.