Protesters against the judicial reform proposed by the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked a major traffic route leading from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Wednesday morning.
Video: Sivan Gur Lavie
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Images on social media showed Highway 1 blocked off with chains and barbed wires, with demonstrators making good on their promise to escalate methods. The police later cleared the area and traffic resumed. Protesters also disrupted traffic within Tel Aviv and even blocked passengers from getting on trains.
Video: Ahim Laneshek
Demonstrations intensified toward noon, with dozens injured and detained. Toward noon, many protesters descended on the Ayalon Highway near the Azrieli Shopping Center, one of the busiest areas in Israel. In the ensuing clashes, police fired stun grenades at demonstrators.
The organizers said in a statement posted to their Hebrew-language website, "Israel will not be a dictatorship – the millions who took to the streets over the past eight weeks have made this clear – and we are now moving on to direct action. We will disrupt public order in the face of a government out to disrupt the democratic order. Tens of thousands will turn up to rallies across the country to stop the coup, which has no broad support among the people."
Major demonstrations were planned for Wednesday throughout all of Israel, with the bulk expected to take place in Jerusalem.
The legislation has been a major source of contention since Justice Minister Yariv Levin first announced it in January. The government said that move is meant to reign in the powers of the Supreme Court to balance the powers of the judiciary, executive, and legislative branches, thus bringing Israel more in line with other democratic nations.
Some of the bills won initial votes in parliament but have yet to be ratified into law.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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