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‘Day of Resistance’: Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highways blocked, massive protest at Ben-Gurion airport

“The whole country is in one big traffic jam right now, but this is just a preview for the big protest that will [occur] this evening in Kaplan [Street in Tel Aviv].”

By World Israel News Staff

Anti-judicial reform demonstrators began their “Day of Resistance” on Tuesday morning after the Knesset passed the first reading of a bill ending the reasonability clause overnight, blocking central highways, thoroughfares, and junctions throughout the country.

“The struggle against the regime coup is escalating. Everyone is coming out to the streets to fight for democracy,” the Brothers in Arms protest group said in a statement.

By 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, hundreds of demonstrators had completely blocked the southbound lanes of Ayalon Highway in north Tel Aviv, as well as both sides of the Road 1 highway, which connects Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, bringing traffic to a grinding halt.

Police said that they had successfully cleared a tent encampment established in the middle of the HaSira junction, outside of the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya, which is a major hub for high-tech offices in the country.

Footage circulating on social media showed police dispersing demonstrators with water cannons as well as extinguishing fires set by protesters in the area.

Route 443, another central highway near Jerusalem, was also blocked near the Maccabim checkpoint. At least five demonstrators were arrested at the scene, according to protest groups.

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Although a large protest is scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m. at Ben-Gurion Airport, some demonstrators began protesting there in the morning, rallying inside of the international terminal. The protesters were dispersed by police after approximately one hour.

Coastal Road 4 outside of Binyamina, south of Haifa, was cleared by police after being blocked by demonstrators for several hours. However, after a surge of protesters regrouped and returned to the road, the thoroughfare was once again blocked to traffic.

“The whole country is in one big traffic jam right now, but this is just a preview for the big protest that will [occur] this evening in Kaplan [Street in Tel Aviv],” one of the 2,000 protesters blocking Road 4, Aharon Levy, told Ynet.

“Our dear Israel will not be a dictatorial state, we will not give up,” he said.