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Israeli police have clashed with demonstrators who blocked roads across the country in protest at a decision by Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government to resume a bitterly contested judicial overhaul.
Police had been under pressure from far-right members of the ruling coalition, such as security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to take a tougher stance against the demonstrations.
On Tuesday, they deployed water cannons and mounted officers to disperse protesters, and said that by mid-afternoon they had arrested 66 people suspected of “disturbing public order”.
Protests are taking place in multiple locations, including big cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, and are due to continue throughout the day, including at Ben Gurion international airport, in what organisers have pledged will be a “day of disruption”.
The latest demonstrations were triggered by the government’s decision to vote through a bill in the early hours of Tuesday that would stop Israel’s top court using the criterion of “reasonableness” to block decisions by the government, ministers and elected officials. It must now pass two further parliamentary votes to become law.
The bill is part of a broader effort by Netanyahu’s coalition to weaken the powers of the judiciary that has sparked six months of mass protests, triggered unease among Israel’s allies and contributed to a sell-off in the shekel.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken part in the protests, which have drawn support from the country’s crucial tech sector, former central bank chiefs, as well as reservists from numerous units in Israel’s military, who have refused to report for training if the bill becomes law.
Officials from Netanyahu’s coalition of ultrareligious and extreme-rightwing parties say getting rid of the “reasonableness” standard would curb judicial interference in the actions of elected representatives.
But critics argue removing such a check on officials would pave the way for corruption and arbitrary decision-making, and see the government’s broader overhaul as a politically motivated power grab.
In a brief video statement released on Monday ahead of the vote on the bill, Netanyahu insisted that scrapping the reasonableness standard would not impair the top court’s ability to scrutinise government decisions.
“Even after the fix, the rights of the courts and Israeli citizens will not be harmed in any way,” he said.
But his opponents blasted the plans. Yair Lapid, head of Yesh Atid, the largest opposition party, warned that they would allow the government to make unsuitable appointments or fire inconvenient officials.
“What does this have to do with Israeli citizens making a living? What does it have to do with Israel citizens’ security?” he said.
Benny Gantz, head of the National Unity party, also attacked the proposals, warning that other more radical measures would follow. The government is expected to return to one of the most contested aspects of its overhaul — reshaping the body that appoints judges — later this year.
“The significance of the law that you are seeking to advance today is that it is the beginning of a dangerous process of removing restrictions from the government and erasing judicial review,” Gantz said. “The snowball that is starting to roll here today will grow, gain momentum and crush the entire country if we do not stop it now.”
Erel Margalit, founder of venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners, said that the battle over the overhaul was “another weight” on the country’s tech sector and that “a lot of people” in the sector were determined to resist the plans.
“This is not Netanyahu’s country, and it’s not Ben-Gvir’s country,” he said when asked if he would consider moving capital out of Israel. “They should move out before me.”
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