Protesters demonstrate against judicial reforms across Israel

Demonstrations against the government's proposed judicial reforms were held in cities across Israel on Saturday evening, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Beersheba, Modi'in and Herzliya.

As in previous weeks, the main protest was held in Tel Aviv on Kaplan Street, in front of the Tel Aviv Governmental Complex and started at 7 p.m. It began with a minute of silence in honor of the victims of the terror attack in Jerusalem on Friday, in which two children and one man were killed.

The police arrested a right-wing activist at the demonstration in Tel Aviv after he fought with protesters. Other activists also arrived at the scene with Kahana flags and a "Leftist traitors" sign. The sign was removed from the scene.

Demonstration on the Ayalon

After the speeches ended, the protesters marched onto Ayalon Highway. There some of the protesters attempted to break through police barricades and clashed with police officers. Some of them were arrested by the police.

The police announced before the demonstration that it would allow the protesters to block the Ayalon Highway, in contrast to the demonstrations in recent weeks and against National Security Minister Ben-Gvir's orders, KAN News reported.

Ahead of the main demonstrations, hundreds of students participated in a protest march from Rothschild Street to Kaplan Street.

The organizers of the student protest stated: "The public has its say in demonstrations across the country and in polls: The majority of the people oppose the coup! It's time for the government to hit the brakes before there's an accident here. We will continue marching in Kaplan, and if they don't hear us from here, on Monday we will go to the Knesset to make sure they do."

The police closed off multiple streets across Tel Aviv in preparation for the demonstration and the marches.

At the protest, MK Gideon Sa'ar called the government "a weak government in the face of our enemies and cruel to its citizens."

He added that "[National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir is announcing 'Defensive Shield 2' and Netanyahu's office is mocking him. A failing group that is united only one subject: Overpowering the judicial system for the sake of personal interests. Start working on security and the high cost of living. Take your hands off the democratic government!"

Walla News contributed to this story.