Several tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated this Thursday against the judicial reform wanted by the government, during a new day of mobilization, punctuated by clashes between demonstrators and police.
A dozen demonstrators were arrested for disturbing public order in Tel Aviv, according to the police.
The police used water cannons to disperse the crowd that had blocked the city's ring road, according to an AFP journalist on the spot.
“National Paralysis Day”
Several thousand people also gathered in Jerusalem outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli media figures.
Police do not provide estimates of the number of protesters.
Other rallies, of less importance, were held in Haifa, in the north of the country, and in Beer Sheva (south).
Thursday had been baptized “
day of national paralysis
” by the organizers of the demonstrations which have followed one another each week since the presentation by the Minister of Justice Yariv Levin of a reform project which divides the country.
The reform aims to increase the power of elected officials over that of magistrates.
According to its detractors, it jeopardizes the democratic character of the State of Israel.
Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies believe the reform is necessary to restore a balanced balance of power between elected officials and the Supreme Court, which they consider politicized.
