A nationwide day of protests began in Israel on Tuesday against the government’s planned reform of the judiciary.
Demonstrators temporarily blocked several roads across the country in the early morning, according to media reports.
They waved Israeli flags and protest signs saying, “we must stop the destruction of democracy.’’
There were reports of isolated arrests.
On a central road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, police used water cannon to clear the road, while outside the headquarters of Histadrut, the Confederation of Trade Unions in Tel Aviv, hundreds of people called for a general strike.
According to the organisers, further rallies were planned during the day.
In the afternoon, thousands of Israelis planned to gather at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
During the night, Israel’s parliament approved a bill for the controversial judicial reform in its first reading.
The new law would make it impossible for the Supreme Court to judge a government decision as “unreasonable.’’
Critics fear that this could encourage corruption and arbitrary appointments to high-ranking posts.
However, two more readings are needed before the amendment comes into force.
Several companies in the tech sector, which were considered the driving force of Israel’s economy, had announced that they would release their employees for the demonstrations.
For more than half a year, the government’s planned judicial reforms have divided large sections of Israeli society.
Thousands of Israelis have repeatedly taken to the streets against the changes.
The government accuses the judges of too much interference in political decisions, but critics say it was a fundamental threat to the separation of powers and warn that Israel could turn into a dictatorship.
The protest movement was one of the largest in the history of Israel, a country of around 9.4 million people. (dpa/NAN)
