Israelis protesting a controversial government plan to reform the judicial system were set to step up their opposition on Wednesday, with large demonstrations and road closures expected in what protest leaders have called a «national day of disruption.» .
The demonstrations come as the government goes ahead with legal changes. A parliamentary committee is moving forward on a bill that would weaken the Supreme Court. The Knesset is also set to cast a preliminary vote on a separate proposal to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from being ousted from office over calls that he cannot serve as prime minister while on trial for corruption.
Protesters blocked the main highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early Wednesday morning, halting rush-hour traffic for about an hour. At Tel Aviv’s busy train stations, protesters prevented trains from leaving by blocking their doors, Israeli media reported. Police said four protesters were arrested for disturbing the peace.
In response, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultra-nationalist, called on police to prevent roadblocks, calling the protesters «anarchists.»
Thousands of protesters came out at locations across the country waving Israeli flags. Major demonstrations were expected later Wednesday in front of the Knesset and near Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem.
Rival camps are digging in, deepening one of Israel’s worst internal crises. The legal review has sparked an unprecedented uproar, with weeks of mass protests, criticism from legal experts, business leaders and the security establishment, as well as concern from international allies.
The standoff comes as Israel and the Palestinians are plunged into a new round of deadly violence and as Netanyahu’s government, the most right-wing in its history, begins to show early cracks just two months into its term.
Neither side appears to be backing down. The government rejected calls to freeze the reform and make way for dialogue, and protest organizers vowed to intensify their fight until the plan is scrapped.
The government says the changes are aimed at correcting an imbalance that has given the courts too much power and allowed them to meddle in the legislative process. They say the reform will streamline governance and say last year’s elections, which returned Netanyahu to power with a slim majority in parliament, gave them the mandate to make the changes.
Critics say the reform will turn Israel’s system of checks and balances on its head, giving the prime minister and government unlimited power and pushing the country toward authoritarianism.