Hanoch Shlomo made aliyah to Israel mere weeks after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, having converted five years prior. He could never have imagined that a year and a half later, he would still not have received his Israeli citizenship, leaving him without the ability to make a living and receive national health insurance.
With the country ensnared in its worst domestic crisis in decades, President Isaac Herzog meets Netanyahu in the hospital treating him in hope of closing a deal with less than 24 hours to go before final passage of kay part of the judicial overhaul.
Thousands demonstrate in capital after marching for days on main highway from Tel Aviv, many more protest across the country. Some 10,000 reservists from a variety of units announce they would no longer volunteer for reserve duty if asked, adding to the 1,000 or so reserve troops from the Israeli Air Force who sent a similar letter on Friday.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to Friday's letter in a tweet, saying that "refusing service was dangerous for the country".
"I truly hope these efforts will succeed but even if they don't, the Coalition's door to the Opposition will remain open always," Netanyahu says in live address. Following speech, throngs of protesters descend on Ayalon Highway and clash with police for hours.
The video, which was shared by some government officials, depicts a fictional war in which Israeli pilots refuse to provide air support to ground forces because the troops support judicial reform.
State Party leader Gantz says Opposition would be willing to find common ground on "reasonableness standard" bill if Netanyahu agrees to halt other parts of reform and return to reconciliation talks.
Biden also shares his wish for Netanyahu's Coalition to "stop rushing to slam through a constitutional overhaul, without even the semblance of a national consensus." National Security Adviser Hanegbi refutes columnist's claims, saying that the call between the leaders was "good, cordial, and constructive."
Demonstrators, many of them military reservists, create human chains and block one of the entrances to the Kirya, Israel's military headquarters in central Tel Aviv.
Tuesday’s protests "will start an unprecedented week of civil resistance and disobedience to the judicial overhaul," organizers say as key part nears passage.
