Israel must act against judicial reform protests at train stations, Regev tells A-G

Ahead of the mass anti-judicial reform protests expected to cause country-wide disruptions of Israel's roads and railways on Tuesday, Transportation Minister Miri Regev called on the attorney-general's Office to act within its authority against demonstrations on train platforms.

Regev said that it was prohibited according to railways regulations to obstruct travelers from entering and exiting trains, obstructing security personnel, and creating unreasonable disturbances that bother other passengers.

"I wrote an urgent letter to the attorney-general about the intention of lawbreakers tomorrow, who are planning to shut down train traffic in Israel with bullying, in violation of the law," said Regev. 

The transportation minister said that she was interested in how the attorney-general might excuse the violation of the law, which also created public safety issues since the platforms are narrow and the trains move at high speeds. 

Infrastructure Minister Israel Katz said that the plan to demonstrate at train platforms would cause the shutdown of operations to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of passengers. 

"The Israel Police, which is responsible for the security of Israel Railways and enforcing the law, must prevent this disruption at all costs," Katz wrote.

As part of the "National Day of Resistance", protests are expected at the Hod Hasharon Sokolov Haifa Center Hashmona, Binyamina, Herzliya, Tel Aviv HaShalom, and Lod railway stations. 

What else is planned for the day?

Demonstrations are set to begin at 6:30 a.m. at Tel Aviv's HaBima Square and continue until the evening, with one of the last protests at Beersheba's Mercaz HaMorim at 8:00 p.m. Rallies are expected at key junctions, as well as sites like the Histadrut workers union and the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. 

Protests will also be held on Tel Aviv's Kaplan street, at a junction that on Monday Mayor Ron Huldai renamed "Democracy Square."

The hi-Tech workers' protest groups said that they were intensifying their efforts on Tuesday to stop the destruction of the Israeli economy. 

"The coup attempt caused enormous damage to high-tech and to the Israeli economy," said Hi-Tech Protest leaders in a statement. "Israeli high-tech companies and workers will be mobilized in the coming days to defend Israeli democracy."

The Movement for Quality Government (MQG) in Israel said that it would demonstrate outside the High Court building in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening along with several other organizations, including the Black Robes and the Student Protest.

"This is a dramatic week for Israeli democracy. In the coming week, the coalition will try to pass in a legislative blitz the repeal of the reasonableness standard, a move that actually gives a kosher certificate to corruption," said MQG.

Demonstrations are also expected on Wednesday, with the Women’s' Protest claiming that 100,000 women would engage in a nationwide women’s strike.

Israel also saw disturbances throughout the day on Monday, with activists attempting to block Highway Four. A video shared by Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky allegedly depicted other civilians clashing with the protesters and removing the blockade. Milwidsky said that it was within their right to challenge those disrupting their lives, but should be done while exercising discretion and within the boundaries of the law.