Unyielding Disruption

Listen to Today's Edition:

Thousands of Israelis blocked roads and clashed with police across the country Tuesday, the latest mass demonstrations against the government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary, the BBC reported.

The protests – known as the “day of disruption” by organizers – saw Israelis cutting off important transportation routes in a number of cities, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as demonstrations in the country’s main airport.

At least 70 people have been arrested, according to authorities.

Tuesday’s unrest came a day after the conservative coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu progressed with a planned judicial reform that would weaken the power of Israel’s Supreme Court to overturn legislation and government decisions, the Wall Street Journal wrote.

Lawmakers of Netanyahu’s coalition voted Monday on the first of three readings of the bill without any support from the opposition. The vote would curb the Supreme Court’s power to strike down decisions from the government or individual officials on the grounds of “reasonableness.”

The government explained that the reasonableness metric is too arbitrary and gives unelected judges the power to overturn decisions taken by elected officials. But supporters countered that the test is important to prevent corruption.

The vote came weeks after Netanyahu said he will go ahead with a revised version of the reform, following stalled negotiations with opposition parties.

The judicial overhaul has sparked months of large-scale protests since they were announced earlier this year. Netanyahu and his coalition said the court’s power must be reined in, adding that it exercises too much political interference.

However, critics warned that the move could erode Israel’s democratic foundations.

Meanwhile, Israel’s tech industry and military reservists have expressed strong opposition to the overhaul.

Hundreds of reservists have threatened to stop turning up for duty in protest at the reforms. On Tuesday, reservists from Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency and the Mossad intelligence service also said they would follow suit.