'The whole country is stuck': Israel's protests reignite as overhaul to judiciary resumes

Israel's right-wing government pressed ahead early Tuesday with a bill that would restrict oversight powers of the country's top court, part of a contentious effort to overhaul its judicial system that has exposed deep divisions in Israeli society and critics say is pushing the country toward authoritarian rule.

The threat of nationwide protests of the kind that brought Israel to a standstill earlier this year was swiftly rebooted after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition gave initial approval to the bill, one of several proposed by his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies. Its supporters want an Israeli state more closely aligned with their nationalist and religious values. Opponents have a more secular, diverse vision for Israel. The legislative effort comes after a three-month pause.

"This day marks the escalation of the struggle against the dictatorship," said a senior Israeli military reserve officer in a private message. Reservists form the backbone of Israel's security establishment.

The officer, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, was one of 300 reservists from the military’s cyber intelligence unit who signed a letter Tuesday saying they would not volunteer for service and cautioned that the government has demonstrated “it is determined to destroy Israel."

The rebooting of Netanyahu's efforts brought a fresh wave of protests to the country. Protestors attempted to glue themselves to the floor of the country's Parliament as the vote was getting underway, and demonstrators were blocking key highways.

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What's in the bill? And what happens next?

Netanyahu and his allies say the bill is being advanced in Israel's Knesset (or Parliament) in order to curb what they claim are the excessive powers of unelected judges in its Supreme Court who can block laws on the grounds of "reasonableness" ? a check and balance on laws deemed too politically partisan or not in the public interest.

Proponents of the reforms say that the standard favors the court's liberal, secular instincts on a range of issues from LGBTQ+ rights to whether leavened bread products should be allowed in hospitals during Passover.

"If you try to explain to someone how the system in Israel works, especially the justice system, they look at you like you're crazy," Simcha Rothman, one of the most prominent of the reform's architects, previously told USA TODAY in an interview in Jerusalem. "If a terrorist kills someone, can you demolish his house? The law is very clear: yes. But it actually depends on the court's panel of judges. No one knows."

The "reasonableness" bill needs to pass two further readings or votes in the Knesset before it becomes law, a process that could take several weeks. Other proposed judicial reforms from Netanyahu’s allies include control over the appointment of judges and giving parliament the power to overturn court decisions.

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Israel's protests reignite

Netanyahu paused the proposed changes to the Israeli legal system in late March amid weeks of mass demonstrations and spiraling walkouts by airport workers, unions, teachers, bankers, high tech workers and military reservists – the engine of Israel's middle class. At the time, Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, warned of an impending societal collapse – perhaps even civil war. That move eased some tensions. Netanyahu decided to revive the overhaul last month after talks with the political opposition aimed at finding a compromise collapsed.

As the vote was getting underway late Monday, protesters attempted to glue themselves to the floor of the Knesset, near the entrance, before they were dragged away from the voting chamber by guards.

And in the hours after the bill's approval, demonstrators blocked highways leading to Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv, and anti-overhaul activists, who have continued to stage protests despite the pause, called for nationwide mass demonstrations including protests at Israel’s main international airport that could disrupt travel.

At least 42 people were arrested for public disturbance, police said.

"Right now the whole country is stuck," said Ronen Keler, a tech executive and reservist in Israel's navy, in a WhatsApp message. He sent a video that showed protesters blocking roads, chanting slogans, waving Israeli flags, banging drums and carrying flares that let off white and orange smoke.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel's judicial overhaul resumes, sparking new protests