The demonstrations are expected to intensify after what protest organizers are calling a day of disruption against the government’s plans to reform the judiciary.
Israeli police fired stun grenades in Tel Aviv as clashes erupted across the country amid a “day of disruption” protest as lawmakers plowed through judicial changes that opponents see as a threat to democracy.
“Israel is not a dictatorship, Israel is not Hungary,” protesters blocking the main road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem shouted Wednesday, waving blue and white Israeli flags.
Police on horseback tried to stop protesters breaking through barricades as traffic piled up.
Live footage showed police dragging protesters off the road as protesters chanted “shame” and “we are the majority and we are on the streets”.
At least nine people have been arrested, according to police.
The demonstrations were expected to ramp up in what protest organizers have called a day of disruption.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would not allow “anarchists” to block roads.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a tweet that his government “will not accept violence against police officers, roadblocks and flagrant violations of state laws.”
“The right to protest is not the right to anarchy,” he added.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government in January proposed what it has described as a reform of the judiciary.
It entails giving the governing coalition’s legislators decisive influence in choosing judges and limits the Supreme Court’s scope to abolish legislation or rule against the executive.
In parliament, the Knesset’s Constitution, Justice and Law Committee initially approved more proposals in the plan, in a vote boycotted by opposition lawmakers.
The legal overhaul has sparked an unprecedented upheaval, with weeks of mass protests, criticism from legal experts and rare demonstrations by army reservists who have pledged not to follow orders under what they say will be a dictatorship after the overhaul is over.
Business leaders, the country’s booming technology sector and leading economists have warned of economic turmoil under the judicial changes.
The plan has yet to be passed into law, but it has already tarnished Israel’s shekel and raised concerns about the health of democracy among some Western allies.
“Calm down, maybe bring people together, try to build consensus,” US Ambassador Tom Nides said Tuesday at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies conference.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Netanyahu’s coalition has not reached out to the opposition to try and get them on board on the issue.
In fact, you just ignore them. They are trying to push this bill through themselves,” he added.
Netanyahu, on trial on corruption charges he denies, says the changes will restore balance between the branches of government and boost business. Economists and legal experts have said they will isolate Israel and wreak havoc on the economy.
Polls have shown that the plan is unpopular with most Israelis who prefer a compromise.
