Protesters in Israel blocked major highways and clashed with police on Tuesday in a new series of large-scale demonstrations against controversial judicial reforms being pushed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, which have now reached parliament, Reuters reported.

Crowds of demonstrators carrying the country’s flag stopped traffic at major intersections and on national highways, with some sitting on the asphalt in front of cars.

In Tel Aviv, the country’s financial center, the authorities brought in mounted police to disperse the demonstrations.

In Jerusalem, the police used water cannons to disperse some of the demonstrators and dispersed others by force.

Police announced that at least 42 people had been arrested as protests were expected to intensify throughout Tuesday.

Why the Israeli government wants to change the way the judicial system works

The push by Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition to overhaul the judiciary to bring it under executive control has sparked unprecedented protests in Israel and raised concerns among Western partners about the evolution of Israel’s democracy.

The bill will need 3 rounds of voting to become law, the first of which took place on Monday night amid cries of “shame” from opposition lawmakers. Protesters who managed to enter the Knesset, Israel’s unicameral parliament, were evacuated before the vote.

If passed, the bill would sharply limit the Supreme Court’s power to overturn decisions made by the government, ministers and elected officials. Critics say it effectively eliminates judicial checks on the executive branch, endangering democracy and allowing corruption to flourish.

But ultra-religious and nationalist parties in Netanyahu’s government, the most right-wing in the country’s history, say the changes are needed to rein in a judiciary they accuse of judicial activism in favor of left-wing politics.

After months of widespread protests, Netanyahu announced in late June that he would drop the most controversial proposal in the legislative package, which would have allowed parliament to overturn Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority vote.

In Israel, the Supreme Court has powers that in other countries are split between two courts, being both the country’s highest court of appeals and the court that hears complaints against the government – ​​the equivalent of a constitutional court in the absence of a written constitution.

Why Israelis are still protesting despite assurances from Benjamin Netanyahu

The Supreme Court plays an important role in keeping the ruling coalition in check, as Israel’s parliament does not have a second upper house that can review or block legislation, and the country’s president does not have the power to veto laws. .

But last week, the parliamentary committee responsible for reviewing the bill approved a version of the law that would bar Israeli courts from reviewing decisions made by elected officials to ensure they were made in accordance with the principle of “reasonableness.”

Some members of Netanyahu’s Likud party said this version of the law would be amended before a final vote in parliament, which is expected to take place by the end of July, when the Knesset goes on summer break.

But Simha Rothman, head of the legal committee of the parliament led by Netanyahu’s alliance, appears to reject that option.

“I will say frankly: I am not convinced that significant changes are expected,” he said.

Protesters are also unhappy with the removal of Ami Eshed, Tel Aviv’s police chief, who said last week he was forced to resign due to political pressure to quell the protests with violence.

Eshed has repeatedly publicly criticized Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called on police to crack down on the months-long demonstrations.