On Thursday morning, roads across the country were blocked, as activists started a day of resistance against the plans of the Israeli government to overhaul the judiciary.
Some of the plans for the day include strikes at workplaces, main thoroughfares to be blocked, protests outside the homes of government officials, marches and train services being disrupted.
The day
The roads around the Ben Gurion Airport were also blocked by protestors for making it difficult for the premier Benjamin Netanyahu to take his official flight to Italy.
He is scheduled to stay in the country for three days and meet with George Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister.
The day began with marches held by children and parents that started in schools and then converged around the country at central meeting points.
According to the police, a number of interchanges and roads were blocked, especially in Tel Aviv and in the central region.
Drivers were also warned of traffic disruptions throughout the day and a number of companies warned that they would not be able to give delivery guarantees, including grocery firm Shufersal.
Several people were also detained by the police in Ra’anana and Tel Aviv for creating a public disturbance.
The events
There were a number of rallies taking place around Tel Aviv, which involved tens of thousands of people marching.
However, the police did not permit the protestors to block the Ayalon Highway, even though it was closed at several junctions.
Protests were also held outside the homes of numerous government lawmakers, which included the Tel Aviv residence of Amir Ohana, the Knesset Speaker.
Martine traffic was also blocked by protestors at the Haifa port, as they said that the sea is also closed in a dictatorship.
The protest group named Brothers in Arms said that they had been sailing day and night for decades to guard the State of Israel’s main lifeline.
Other details
The group said that they had opted to disrupt operations at the port to send a clear message to the Israeli government that they need to put a stop to the legislation that would destroy the country.
The protest also included the participation of several former senior naval officers. Activists in Jerusalem also placed barbed wires and sandbags at the entrance of a conservative think tank’s office.
Kohelet Forum is deeply involved in the controversial push of the government to overhaul the justice system in the country.
The police disclosed that six individuals had been detained in relation to the incident and these people were related to the military reservists who are against the overhaul.
The police had also made preparations for dealing with the day of disruption, as they revealed that 3,000 officers were deployed.
Warnings had also been issued about deliberately disrupting traffic and the commissioner, Kobi Shabtai, said that they would not allow any property damage or rioting to happen, or that to any state symbol.
He said that the law should be followed and the work of policemen and officers should be respected as well.