An uneasy calm returned to Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would delay a key part of a controversial plan to overhaul the justice system.
On Monday night, he said he would suspend the legislation to avoid “a rift between our people”.
However, it is not clear what the delay will achieve beyond buying time.
This comes after the escalation of protests following the firing of his defence minister, who spoke out against the plans.
In unprecedented events, the country’s largest union called for a strike and Israelis saw society shut down around them.
From the main airport to shops and banks – even to the hospital – services are suspended.
The concerted action is designed to prevent Mr Netanyahu from pushing through with reforms this weekend.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “the biggest crisis in the country’s history”.
The government, the most right-wing in Israel, seeks to take decision-making control over the committee that appoints judges.
The reforms would give parliament the power to overrule Supreme Court decisions with a basic majority and make it difficult to declare a prime minister unfit for office and remove him from power.
Mr. Netanyahu said the changes would prevent the courts from exaggerating their powers, but critics say they will help him as he faces an ongoing corruption trial.
He was tried for corruption, fraud and treason in three cases.
The Prime Minister denied any wrongdoing and declared himself the victim of a “witch hunt”.
The proposed changes have sparked outrage from almost every section of Israeli society, including parts of the country’s powerful military, since they were announced on January 4.