TEHRAN (Iran News) –Israel’s parliament has signed off a key part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan to reshape the judiciary, setting off violent clashes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Dozens of protesters have been arrested as Israelis flooded streets across the occupied Palestinian territories as the Israeli Knesset passed a key bill as part of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan.

Many others, as well as Israeli police, have been injured.

Opposition politicians chanted “shame” and stormed out the Knesset, leaving supporters to approve the change 64 votes to zero.

Protests against the judicial overhaul intensified following the ratification of the law, and the occupied territories, including Tel Aviv and al-Quds (Jerusalem), witnessed heavy clashes between protesters and security forces.

More than 170,000 Israelis participated in the demonstrations, which saw police use skunk water against the protesters for the first time since massive back-to-back rallies began seven months ago.

The protesters cut off major streets and crossroads as thousands gathered in front of the Knesset as well as Tel Aviv, in addition to demonstrations throughout the entity.

Police were seen using water spraying vehicles and horse mounted units in an attempt to disperse them.

Reflecting the division and crisis, a motorist rammed his car into a crowd of protesters in the central occupied Palestinian territories, injuring at least three people.

Other footage shows violent clashes breaking out between Israeli police and the protesters throughout the night.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid made a rare appeal to the police officers to handle the protesters with mercy. “A line was crossed today,” Lapid wrote on his social media, “remember, these are your brothers and sisters … whose world just collapsed on them … don’t harm them.”

Speaking at a protest, the former Shin Bet chief, Nadav Argaman, said that Netanyahu is “captured by the hands of a coalition that has lost touch with the people.” Argaman, who served in his post until 2021, added, “We will fight with all the tools at our disposal.”

Israel’s former state prosecutor, Moshe Lador, also spoke at a protest and accused Netanyahu of “conducting a ferocious and harmful struggle against the (entity) that put him on trial – the Netanyahu affair against the (Israeli occupation).”
The outcry has seen repercussions for the Israeli army.
Around 10,000 reservists have already said they won’t serve because of the measures, forcing the military chief Herzi Halevi to address the controversy.

In a letter to soldiers, he said: “If we will not be a strong and cohesive military, if the best do not serve, we will no longer be able to exist as an (entity) in the region.”

On Monday, Halevi also addressed Netanyahu, saying that “speaking out against reservists who threaten to suspend their duty because of the judicial coup will harm our preparedness and unity”, according to Israeli media, citing sources in the occupation military.

After the vote was passed in the Knesset, more Israeli army reservists, some in critical roles, have vowed not to show up for duty.

Business leaders and legal officials have also voiced opposition, saying it will diminish the courts’ ability to keep the cabinet’s power in check, while petrol stations and shopping centers shut down in protest.

Opponents see the measures as a power grab by Netanyahu, who’s on trial on corruption charges, and fear it is setting the regime on the path to dictatorship.

Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White party, issued a statement, saying that “direct responsibility lies with the Prime Minister. He chose the political needs of Ben-Gvir and the whims of Levin over the (regime’s) standing, security, and society.”

“We will do everything to roll back and correct the situation,” he added.

Netanyahu and his other extremist allies are determined to push ahead.

Coalition member minister Yariv Levin called it the “first step in an important historic process” of reshaping the influence of judges, but opposition leader Yair Lapid said it meant Israel is “headed for disaster”.

Monday’s vote came soon after Netanyahu was discharged from hospital after having a pacemaker fitted.

His resolve to see the changes through has drawn concern from the U.S., a staunch supporter of Israel, with President Joe Biden cautioning against pushing through laws that are causing so much division.

“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting (the entity) right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this – the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” Biden told Axios.

The White House said, “It is unfortunate that the vote took place.”

Among Israel’s other allies that have voiced concern were Germany’s Foreign Ministry, which issued a statement expressing that Berlin’s “very much regrets that the negotiations between the Netanyahu’s cabinet and the opposition, mediated by President Isaac Herzog, have failed.”

“In light of our deep ties with (the occupation) and its people, we view the deepening tensions in Israeli society with great concern,” it added.

As well as curbing the judges’ power, the plan would also change the way they are selected, which opponents say would pave the path for corruption and improper appointments.

For many of the protesters, the immediate concern was not the bill itself. Rather, they are worried that it would be followed by other, more radical legislation that would remove crucial remaining checks on Israeli cabinets, and allow Netanyahu’s extremist allies to impose their own deeply conservative and authoritarian worldview on the Israeli settler population and not just the Palestinians.

“Both sides are scared of what will come next. It’s hard to have a dialogue.” protester Lior Carmon told the Guardian. “We are in a bubble, and it’s now bursting.”

In a speech, Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General  Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah stated, “Israel was once a formidable force in the region, but it began to erode in its faith, consciousness, self-assurance, and humility until it found itself in the crisis it is experiencing today.”

The Hezbollah chief called the Knesset approval the “worst day” in history of the occupation regime.

“Today is undoubtedly its worst day in the Zionist entity’s history,” Nasrallah, adding, “As some of its people and members are saying that they are facing a crisis, division, and destruction… God willing.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said, “We have a long-standing friendship with the government of (the occupation) that really transcends one issue.” Miller added, “It is because our friendship … that the president and other members of this administration felt the responsibility to speak out about this measure and express our concern.”

The “pro-Israel, pro-peace” group J Street pushed for the White House and Congress to go further.

“While the Netanyahu government fundamentally … plows ahead toward a more authoritarian and ethno-nationalist future, ‘business as usual’ from Congress and the White House is a recipe for terrible failure,” it said.

Other U.S. Jewish organizations expressed “profound” concern and disappointment.

The New Israel Fund called it a “dark day in the history of the (occupied Palestinian territories) and the Jewish people”.

“We have Israeli protesters taking very strong actions in the street. A much stronger statement by the Biden administration would be very important for them. That’s how the administration can show true support, significant support, for (the occupation), and those who are fighting to uphold it.”

The American Jewish Committee, one of the oldest pro-Israel groups in the U.S., expressed “profound disappointment” at the vote and said it is “gravely concerned” that it will deepen divisions among Israelis in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“The continued effort to press forward on judicial reform rather than seeking compromise has sown discord within the Israeli military at a time of elevated threats to the (Israeli occupation) and has strained the vital relationship between (the occupation) and diaspora Jewry,” it said.

A joint statement from the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said they were “deeply disappointed” that efforts to find a middleground had so far failed.

They said: “Now that the first law has passed, we plead with Israeli leaders to return urgently to dialogue and to prevent the deepening of a constitutional crisis which will do tremendous damage to the very fabric of Israeli society, its regional security and global status.”

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and a key ally of President Biden said he “mourned” the Israeli vote while urging Americans to heed the relevant lessons ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

“It is a reminder of a tragic lesson of history: great nations are brought down more often by internal decay than external threats. As 2024 approaches, I hope Americans will heed this lesson and resist the siren song of populist extremism,” he warned.