In Israel, the Opponents of the government’s judicial reforms have launched a nationwide “day of disruption” in protest. Demonstrations began early Tuesday morning, with tents erected at an intersection in Herzliya, and a huge banner hung at the Karkur traffic junction near Hadera that read “No entrance for a dictatorship.” Rallies at street intersections around the country were scheduled to start at around 7 a.m., and a student march began from Tel Aviv University an hour later.

The Brothers in Arms group, a protest organization led by military veterans, will lead morning rallies in Jerusalem. The main demonstration will take place at Ben Gurion Airport at 4 p.m., and other protests will be held outside the US consulate in Tel Aviv, the president’s residence in Jerusalem, and other locations nationwide. Some employers have granted their workers the day off to join the protests, and police are bolstering forces across the country to prepare for the events.

The protests have been ongoing for 27 weeks, since Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the overhaul package in January. After the vote on Monday, opposition leaders vowed to continue to fight against the legislation, while government lawmakers celebrated, and pledged to push through the rest of the legislative package. A more central piece of the package, concerning judicial appointments, is set to be advanced in the Knesset’s winter session, which opens in October.

Israeli politics in the past months has been moving further "Right' under the revamped leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu who has promised that his current Government will be the most "Rightist" of the administrations that Israel has seen till date. The past few months have seen unprecedented levels of violence in the occupied territories and domestic protests against the Government's new judicial policy. The citizens of Israel fear the weakening of the judiciary would eventually give Netanyahu a "Free-Hand" in decision-making and will damage the democratic fabric of Israel.

The recent surge in violence has led many in the occupied territories to call for a "Third- Intifada'" against the State of Israel as the future looks bleak with further disregard for the Oslo consensus. The level of mass protests being seen in Israel are unprecedented in the history of the country. However, Netanyahu led Government remains firm and continues to push controversial policies of judicial reforms and for increasing settlements in the occupied territories in spite of international condemnation and domestic pressure.