Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in breach of a Supreme Court ruling and his conflict-of-interest agreement when he announced Thursday he "was getting involved in order to reach a solution for the judicial reform crisis," Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara wrote in an open letter to Netanyahu Friday.

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"Your statement last night and any action that will be taken on this matter is illegal and tainted by a conflict of interest," the letter read. "The legal situation is clear: You must refrain from any involvement in initiatives to change the judiciary, including the makeup of the committee for the appointment of judges, as such activity is a conflict of interest."

Netanyahu said in a televised address on Thursday that he was determined to proceed with judicial reforms amid unprecedented nationwide protests against the government's plan.

The Likud leader's comments came at the end of another day of mass protests across the country, some violent. The protests have escalated since the start of the year when Netanyahu's right-wing government introduced new legislation that would curb the authority of the Supreme Court.

The plan has stirred concern for Israel's democratic health at home and abroad. Military reservists have joined the protests and senior officials in the Finance Ministry warned this week of an economic backlash.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant canceled a press conference Thursday after reportedly planning to publicly call on the government to halt the highly-disputed judicial reform, in a move that would have heralded a split in the right-wing Coalition. However, just hours later, some of the people in his orbit said he could still go ahead with his public statement in light of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Thursday in which he vowed to continue with the overhaul.

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Gallant canceled his planned statement after being summoned by  Netanyahu.

The defense minister expressed concern over some soldiers' and reservists' refusal to serve in wake of the legislation as well as external threats against Israel he said were getting stronger as Israel was perceived as divided and weak.

In a press conference of his own later, Netanyahu said, "I met with Gallant, I heard his fears regarding national security. Yet I must also say reiterate, there is no place for refusing military service because it risks the personal safety of all of us. There is no justification for refusing the serve."

Netanyahu is said to have asked Gallant for more time. The foreign minister, in turn, replied that he trusted Netanyahu and would try to calm the winds.

Nevertheless, Gallant's associates said that if nothing changed, he might go through with his planned statement.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Germany Wednesday afternoon as protesters plan to block traffic around Ben-Gurion International Airport in an effort to disrupt the trip.

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Netanyahu is expected to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in what will be the first meeting between the two leaders.

The prime minister has set out to meet new leaders of Europe and last week traveled to Italy for talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. At the end of March, he is also expected to travel to Britain to meet with Prime Minister Rushi Sunak.

Scholz and Netanyahu are expected to focus on an array of international matters, including Iran and its nuclear aspirations. The prime minister's goal is to ensure that the European nations are not planning to renew the nuclear deal with Tehran and perhaps will even reimpose the sanctions against it.

Germany has previously voiced criticism against Iran for aiding Russia in its war in Ukraine by providing drones and other weapons. The assessment is that the matter could help boost cooperation between Berlin and Jerusalem in this matter.

As the battle over the judicial reform in Israel continues, protesters plan to disrupt Netanyahu's trip by blocking traffic to and around Ben-Gurion airport with thousands of vehicles expected to block the access roads.

Opponents of the legislation claim it will grant the new government headed by Netanyahu unbridled powers, while supporters say it will balance the judicial, legislative and executive branches and bring Israel more in line with other democratic nations.

Protesters also blocked access to the airport last week ahead of Netanyahu's flight to Italy, necessitating for the prime minister to be helicoptered to the scene.

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