Thousands rally for 'Day of Disruption' as vote on Israeli judicial bill looms

Israel protesters blocked highways and briefly mobbed the stock exchange on a "Day of Disruption" on Tuesday as legislators prepared to ratify one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's disputed judicial bills before parliament goes on summer recess. Thousands poured onto the streets in rallies across the country, many waving Israeli flags, and police reported at least a half-dozen highways had been blocked.

Protesters rallied at major train stations in afternoon rush-hour, some scuffled with police and Israel Railways said train service had been paused because of a computer malfunction. Dozens entered the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, tossing fake banknotes as symbols of corruption. Medics said one woman was hit by a car on a highway and injured. At least 29 people were arrested throughout the day, police said.

The drive by Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition to change the justice system has sparked unprecedented protests, bruised the economy and stirred concern for Israel's democratic health among Western allies. Netanyahu defended the proposed changes, vowing to keep "Israel a Jewish and democratic nation state, free and liberal, that holds sacrosanct majority rule alongside civil rights."

At a memorial speech in Jerusalem he said his government was proceeding in a responsible and measured manner, seeking as broad an agreement as it can, to restore balance between the judiciary, legislature and executive. With the prime minister wielding a comfortable Knesset majority, opponents are hoping a fresh wave of protest can help scupper the legislation before final voting next week.

"We are here to say to Israel's government: The more you press, the harder we resist," Jonathan Eran Kali, a 62-year-old retired tech worker, told Reuters at a demonstration outside the Habimah Theatre in Tel Aviv. A group describing itself as military reservists opposed to the judicial overhaul attempted to block the entrance to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in Tel Aviv. Some reservists have threatened not to heed call-up orders as part of the protest.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant appealed for unity among the ranks. "We cannot exist in this land without the Israel Defence Forces," he said at a memorial ceremony speech after Netanyahu on Monday pledged to crack down on insubordination. In a delaying tactic, the parliamentary opposition filed 27,000 objections to a coalition bill that would limit the Supreme Court's ability to void government decisions or appointments by stripping the judges of the power to deem such decisions "unreasonable".

Still, the coalition looked set to bring the bill to the plenum on Sunday for final votes before the July 30 recess. Netanyahu's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that the prime minister had updated U.S. President Biden on Monday that during the Knesset recess he would try to reach broad agreement over changes to the way judges are selected.

The overhaul has contributed to U.S. concern over Netanyahu's hard-right coalition and the White House has urged him to seek consensus over judicial changes.