Nora Baldovin (www.b1tv.ro)
During the overnight protests, people gathered in front of Netanyahu’s house in Jerusalem, but also in front of the parliament.
Overnight protests in Israel over the proposed judicial reform and the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant led various officials to call for the legislation to be halted.
Some reports in the Hebrew-language media claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may announce a halt to the reform.
The latest reports suggest his coalition allies are threatening to break up the government if he stops judicial reform, Archyde.com reports.
Local media reports say National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to quit the coalition if the reform is stopped.
Meanwhile, Histadrut union leader Arnon Bar-David called for a “historic” strike by workers to force the government to stop the proposal.
Heeding the call, Ben Gurion Airport announced the immediate suspension of flights. Hospitals and medical workers also joined the strike.
Municipalities and local councils agreed to join the general strike, and businesses and other local authorities said they were shutting down. Schools were already closing for the Easter break, and now kindergartens and daycare centers have also announced they will close.
Protesters thronged the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday night after Netanyahu dismissed the defense minister from his cabinet over his opposition to a proposed overhaul of the judiciary.
People chanted and blocked streets and bridges, including the Ayalon highway. In Jerusalem, near Netanyahu’s home, police used water cannons on protesters.
The protests led to calls from within the coalition to halt the legislative effort. The country’s president, Isaac Herzog, also said the judicial reform must stop “immediately”.
The mass protests, which quickly turned violent, came a day after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for a halt to Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary.
On Sunday, Netanyahu fired Gallant, and the news sent people into the streets waving blue and white Israeli flags.