Israeli police disperse protesters blocking road to parliament ahead of crucial vote

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli police on Monday dispersed demonstrators blocking road to the Knesset, the country's parliament, during a protest ahead of a vote on judicial overhaul.

The contentious judicial overhaul plan spearheaded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked 29 weeks of mass protests.

The Monday vote would prevent judges from striking down government decisions on the basis that they are “unreasonable." The reform also calls for changing the way judges are selected.

The government says the package is meant to restore power to elected officials, but critics argue it is a power grab by Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges and was released from the hospital earlier in the day after an emergency heart procedure.

Police said they continue "to disperse and repel rioters who block traffic roads this morning in violation of the law.”

The judicial overhaul plan has divided Israel, and there has been unprecedented opposition from different circles including the military and the business sector.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat