Protests against the bill continued in Israel

The reason for the discontent is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition government have taken another step toward approving a controversial law.

On Tuesday night, the bill, which deals with severely curtailing the powers of the Supreme Court, passed Israel’s parliament in the Knesset in a first round.

For it to become law, two more votes are required.

“totally destroy democracy”

The protests did not last long, and on Tuesday morning, demonstrators blocked highways leading to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

– I came here today because the government is completely destroying democracy in Israel, said doctor Eitan Galon, who took part in the protests on a highway outside Jerusalem.

He completed:

– We will fight to the end.

More demonstrations are expected

Thousands of protesters also gathered at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to express their strong discontent, according to local media.

– This is our last chance to fight this kind of subversion of Israeli democracy, said Yair Portinger, who arrived at the airport.

The organizers of the demonstrations had previously announced that dozens of protests would take place across the country. Protests were also announced outside the US Consulate in Tel Aviv and outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem.

months of protests

The bill is one of several controversial proposals put forward by Netanyahu’s diverse coalition government, which is widely described as the most right-wing and extreme in Israel’s history.

Plans to reform the justice system have sparked months of widespread protests from opponents who believe the laws will push the country toward an increasingly authoritarian system where the government is allowed to rule arbitrarily.

Correction: In a previous release, the wrong location for the US Embassy was specified.