TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2023) The Israeli police said on Monday six protesters against the government's judicial reform were arrested for ignoring officers' orders while blocking roads outside the Israeli parliament (Knesset).
On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters against the reform headed toward the parliament building in Jerusalem as part of the "march of democracy." Activists set up a tent camp in the park near the building and many of them remain there.
"In the past two hours, police arrested six troublemakers on the roads near the Knesset who were blocking the roads and disobeying the instructions of police officers on the ground," the police said in a statement.
In order to disperse the demonstrators, the police used water cannons, leaving one person with a head injury, local media reported.
A group of protesters said they carried out a "siege on the Knesset � for the first time in the country's history, all four gates to the Knesset are blocked," the Israel National news agency reported, noting that, according to the parliament, one of the entrances remained open for parliamentarians to enter.
Since January 2023, Israel has been gripped by mass protests sparked by the judicial reform proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet. Organizers estimate that 550,000 people have taken part in the protests across the country, with more than 200,000 taking to the streets of Tel Aviv and another 100,000 marching to the Knesset building in Jerusalem.
Last week, the Israeli parliament approved for second and third readings one of the key clauses of the judicial reform, which limits the power of the Supreme Court to overturn government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. If the bill becomes law, the government will have more power to push through its decisions and appoint legal officials.
