Protesters launch four-day march to Jerusalem ahead of key bill

Participants of the march will sleep outside along the way.

By World Israel News Staff

Protesters against the government’s planned judicial reform embarked on a four-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Tuesday night, with the intention of sleeping along the way.

The protest march, covering approximately 50 kilometers, began at 8:30 p.m. from the main protest area of Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The march was initiated by Prof. Shikma Bresler and Moshe Redman, prominent figures in the anti-reform protest movements, as well as Ran Harnevo, founder of the Tikva initiative, and Ami Dror, a leader of the high-tech protest. Their objective for this “spontaneous” march, as stated by the organizers, is to exert pressure against what they describe as the “dictatorial intentions of the Israeli government,” the report said.

Prof. Karine Nahon, an active voice in the anti-reform protests, indicated that the march is expected to last until Saturday, ensuring the protesters’ arrival in Jerusalem prior to the vote on the reasonableness bill.

The reasonableness bill is set to pass its final readings on Sunday, marking the first bill of the judicial reform plan to be enacted into law.

Participants in the march will traverse Highway 1 to the Knesset, while updating their location periodically via maps to enable interested individuals to join at any point.

The march was announced in tandem with a nationwide “National Day of Resistance” held by protesters against the judicial reform plan on Tuesday, involving disruptions to train services and demonstrations across Israeli cities and towns.

Meanwhile around 1,000 protesters blocked a main intersection in Jerusalem before starting to march toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence.

The Israel Medical Association has also planned a two-hour protest strike on Wednesday morning, with demonstrations at various medical centers across the country.

Israel’s Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar on Tuesday evening called on his subordinates to show up for duty after more than 160 senior reservists signed a letter saying they refused to serve in protest over the reform.