After Netanyahu’s judicial retreat, Israelis regroup for next round

TEL AVIV — When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a temporary suspension of his government’s contentious judicial overhaul Monday, many Israelis breathed a sigh of relief. But few believe that the crisis is over.

As the government and the opposition prepare to enter negotiations over the most controversial elements of the changes, such as giving Knesset members more power to pick Supreme Court judges, both sides are already bracing for failure — and preparing for round two of the fight. Israel’s long-standing social schisms — between religious conservatives and secular liberals, ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and military reservists, West Bank settlers and residents of Israel proper — have deepened, analysts say, and will not easily be healed.