Israeli politicians held a second day of talks Wednesday on controversial judicial reforms that sparked mass protests and a general strike in the country’s most severe domestic crisis in years. Scepticism remained high over the negotiations on the judicial overhaul, which foresee curtailing the authority of the Supreme Court and giving politicians greater powers over the selection of judges. US President Joe Biden, one of several Israeli allies to have voiced concern, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate in good faith, warning against ploughing ahead with the reforms. But the prime minister said Israel would not bow to foreign pressure “including from the best of friends.” A first day of talks between the government and the two main centrist opposition parties — Yesh Atid and the National Unity Party — was hosted by President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday. “After about an hour and a half, the meeting, which took place in a positive spirit, came to an end,” the president’s office said. Herzog continued the talks on Wednesday, holding discussions with three small parties. “We oppose the evident attempts to thwart the protest,” against the reforms, the Arab-led Hadash-Taal alliance said after meeting the president. “We have no faith in Netanyahu’s delay announcement because of past experiences,” the faction said in a statement.- US pushes ‘genuine compromise’ – After three months of tensions that split the nation, Netanyahu bowed to pressure in the face of a nationwide walkout on Monday. The strike hit airports, hospitals and more, while tens of thousands of opponents of the reforms rallied outside parliament in Jerusalem. “Out of a will to prevent a rupture among our people, I have decided to pause the second and third readings of the bill” to allow time for dialogue, the prime minister said in a broadcast. The decision to halt the legislative process marked a dramatic U-turn for the premier, who just a day earlier announced he was sacking his defence minister who had called for the very same step. The move was greeted with suspicion in Israel, with the president of the Israel Democracy Institute think tank remarking that it did not amount to a peace deal.