Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to push ahead with controversial judicial reform despite months of protests.

Netanyahu accused the opposition during a cabinet meeting today in Jerusalem of trying to buy time in negotiations brokered by the country’s president, Isaac Herzog.

As he said, prominent opposition politicians Yair Lapid and Benny Ganj were pretending to have a dialogue and not aiming to find a common line with the government.

“That is why we will gather this week and take some practical steps,” Netanyahu said. Referring to his election victory last year, Netanyahu added that this would be in line with “the order we received for orders in the judicial system.”

Opposition leader Lapid warned that Netanyahu’s decision would “deliver a fatal blow to the economy, jeopardize security and divide the Israeli people.”

In March Netanyahu said he would delay his plan to reform the judicial system for several weeks in response to protests and growing union strikes.

But in the following months the negotiations between the government and the opposition failed to bring a compromise agreement.

On Wednesday, opposition representatives said they would continue negotiations once a body for the appointment of judges — the Judicial Selection Committee — is completed.

The appointment of judges is at the heart of the reform promoted by the right-wing government.

Netanyahu’s coalition seeks to weaken the powers of the country’s Supreme Court, which it accuses of over-interference in politics.

Among other things, the government will gain more power to appoint judges and parliament will be able to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority.

Critics see the plan as a danger to democracy in Israel and warn of a national crisis.

Last night, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the reform for the 24th consecutive week.