The organizers of the Saturday demonstrations announced protests at 150 different locations across Israel. In Tel Aviv alone, about 130,000 people gathered on Saturday, according to Crowd Solutions estimates.
Overall, about 300,000 people protested across Israel on Saturday, according to the organizers of the demonstrations. In Tel Aviv, protesters attempted to block the main highway, but police restored regular traffic. According to a Sputnik correspondent, police with water cannons were seen in the Ayalon Highway area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the government would drop the most controversial part of the judicial reform designed to enable the parliament (Knesset) to override the rulings of the Supreme Court.
At the same time, the Israeli prime minister said that the government and the opposition had been unable to agree on basic provisions of the reform for months, which would possibly prompt the government to advance the legislation unilaterally.
The draft law is intended to shake up the judiciary in Israel. If adopted, it could curtail the Supreme Court's power to review and strike down laws that it rules unconstitutional and give the government a greater say in the selection of judges.
In late March, the Israeli prime minister announced the suspension of the legislative process on judicial reform in order to negotiate and reach a compromise with its opponents. The decision came against the backdrop of major nationwide protests against the reform. Despite the suspension, demonstrators continue to take to the streets, fearing that the reform will undermine democracy in Israel and bring the country to the brink of a social and constitutional crisis.