The officers used water cannons to disperse the crowd and unblock the highway. At least three people were arrested.
Demonstrations took place across Israel on Saturday night for the 27th consecutive weekend. People are speaking out against the Netanyahu government’s plans for judicial reform and its efforts to reduce the powers of the justice system, according to the Times of Israel. At the call of the Brothers in Arms movement, which represents members of the reserve army and veterans of the armed forces, hundreds of people gathered at the home of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Amikam, in northern Israel, to express their dissent.
Photo: REUTERS
The protests have subsided somewhat since late March, when Netanyahu, under internal and external pressure, called off a massive judicial reform plan. And they resumed with renewed vigor when the coalition plan to approve in first reading in the Knesset (the country’s parliament) a bill that deprives the courts of the power to decide on the validity of government decisions.
Saturday’s demonstrations in Tel Aviv drew far larger crowds than the spring protests, Channel 13 reports. The Knesset is expected to hold three votes on the government’s new proposal, which limits the powers of the Supreme Court to rule against decisions of governments and elected officials. . The opposition says the proposal is also a dangerous move because it could ultimately subjugate Israel’s highest court to the government, Reuters reported.
Speaking at a large protest in Tel Aviv, world-renowned Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari said: “The time has come to stop the Netanyahu government.” Professor Hagai Levin, who represents doctors who oppose Netanyahu’s plans, warned that the healthcare system could face major strikes if the bill passes. “The health system will start working in a state of emergency, because this is a state of emergency,” he said.
Outside the Israeli presidential residence in Jerusalem, where thousands of people took to the streets in a larger-than-usual protest, Canadian-born writer and journalist Matti Friedman said Israel has the potential to become a “failed state” as Lebanon, torn by corruption and internal disagreements.
