They blocked highways, tunnels and an access road to the Israeli military headquarters. They gathered in front of the ministers’ houses, knocked on the glass doors of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and crowded the platforms of the major train stations. Waving Israeli flags, they created a sea of blue and white at key crossroads in central Israel.
Though temperatures soared to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the country, thousands of Israelis held dozens of rallies across central Israel on Tuesday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan next week to pass legislation ending the powers of the Supreme Court would restrict.
In a regular weekly episode of unrest, protesters marched through several cities to once again prevent the government from holding a binding vote on the law in parliament, which is expected to take place on Monday. This is the 28th consecutive week of protests against the justice plan.
Some held huge roadside banners that read, “Netanyahu divides the nation,” while others displayed a huge picture of Theodor Herzl, a founding father of modern Zionism, emblazoned with the slogan, “I didn’t mean that.”
One group hung a giant version of the Israeli Declaration of Independence on a highway overpass, while another lay on an approach road to the Israeli army headquarters in Tel Aviv and briefly blocked traffic. Residents of senior living communities, some using walkers, protested on the streets outside their homes.
And women’s rights activists – dressed in crimson robes inspired by characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood’s novel about a totalitarian patriarchal state that was adapted into a television series – rallied in Raanana, central Israel.
By mid-afternoon, police said they had arrested 19 protesters for breaching public order. Officials also gathered outside several train stations to prevent protesters from gathering on the platforms.
Protesters fear the proposed law would undermine democracy by reducing judicial control over the cabinet, allowing greater government power grabs and paving the way for a more conservative, religious and patriarchal society. Mr Netanyahu’s government says the plan would improve democracy by making elected lawmakers less dependent on unelected judges.
A date for the meeting was not set and the offer fell short of an invitation to the White House itself. Still, the news came as a blow to protesters, who had hoped Mr Biden would use his influence over Mr Netanyahu to persuade him to do so to suspend the legislative process.
The US government is a key ally of Israel, providing Israel with nearly $4 billion in aid annually, weapons and defense systems, and systematic diplomatic cover in the UN Security Council.
Mr. Biden will greet Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose office is largely ceremonial in nature, at the White House on Tuesday, another sign of the strong ties between the two countries.
An alliance of protest movements — whose members include groups of authors, economists, political scientists and social workers — published an open letter to Congress on Tuesday, urging US lawmakers to take a firm stance against Mr Netanyahu’s domestic policies.
Without further US intervention, the protest movement is attempting to exert domestic political pressure on Mr. Netanyahu through the unions and military reservists. Thousands of members of Israel’s military reserve have threatened to withdraw from volunteer service if the law goes into effect – a move that could hamper the operational capability of key military sectors, particularly the air force, which relies heavily on reserve pilots.
Israel’s main union, the Histadrut, says it may organize a general strike to protest the law, a prospect that helped an earlier bill be suspended in March.
However, the union has yet to officially confirm its position. To pressure them to join their cause, some protesters gathered outside the Histadrut headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
The Israel Medical Association, an association of around 30,000 doctors, announced on Wednesday that its members would reduce medical work for two hours in protest at judicial legislation.
“We will do everything we can to minimize the impact on patients,” said Leah Wapner, executive director of the association.
Gabby Sobelman provided coverage from Rehovot, Israel.