at the same time, thousands of israelis took to the streets for a day of protest against a planned judicial overhaul. their president says the government should abandon its controversial plan. now on bbc news: it s hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i m stephen sackur. something extraordinary is happening in israel. military reservists, former security chiefs and politicians of different stripes have alljoint a mass protest movement aimed at thwarting the netanyahu plan to radically overall israel s judicial system. the critics say it threatens israel s stability. this as violence in the west bank raising questions over the strategic direction of netanyahu s nationalist government. my guest simcha rothman is an architect of those judicial reforms. it s israel plunging into chaos? simcha rothman injerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. it is a pleasure to have you on the show. would it be fair to say that you have been preparing for years for this opportunity tha