Israeli veterans attach themselves to metal columns at the entrance to a military base in Tel Aviv, Israel. p>
Photos released Tuesday show Israeli veterans attached to metal pillars at the entrance to the base, where they demanded the repeal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's overhaul bill.
Several reservists appear to have their hands tied with plastic pipes.
Many Israeli reservists, who formed the backbone of the country's wartime military power, have threatened to refuse service if the law is passed.
< p>The protest began when thousands were expected to take to the streets of Israel again as part of weekly demonstrations against Netanyahu's proposals.
Israelis are protesting Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to overhaul the judiciary. : Oded Balilty/AP
Outside the Tel Aviv stock exchange, demonstrators set fire to smoke bombs, drummed and chanted, and held signs reading «Save our startup nation» and «Dictatorship will kill the economy.»
Others demonstrated in front of the headquarters of Israel's largest trade union, the Histadrut, demanding that the organization call a general strike, a move that could paralyze the country's economy.
Protesters climbed the scaffolding near the building and raised reservist protest flags. The union went on strike in March, contributing to Netanyahu's freeze on judicial reform.
Police said police have meanwhile arrested at least 19 people suspected of disturbing the peace during protests blocking roads in central Israel.
The unprecedented row over Netanyahu's planned reforms has revealed a serious split in Israeli society between the secular, liberal population that opposes these moves, and the religious conservatives that support them. neutralize the Israeli legal system by removing important checks and balances for Israeli government ministers.
However, Mr. Netanyahu and his supporters insist that reforms are needed because they say the courts have too much power over the government.
«Threat to national security»
During an emergency intervention on Sunday, nearly a thousand Israeli spies signed a letter claiming that Mr. Netanyahu's plans posed a «clear and immediate threat» to national security.
About 800 former Shin Bet security officials said the legal reforms would weaken the judiciary, exposing the spies to «investigations and international tribunals.»
They also argued that the overhaul, arguably the most controversial domestic reform in Israel's history, would seriously damage the country's reputation abroad.
«It would significantly damage international recognition of the independence of the Israeli judiciary in Israel,» the former Shin Bet operatives wrote in their open letter to Mr. Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister.
«This will pose a significant and immediate danger to soldiers in [Shin Bet], agency personnel, managers, and soldiers and commanders of the IDF,» they added.
«We urge you to act immediately to resolve the differences in the country and stop the judicial coup.»
Protest leaders have called for increased demonstrations across Israel. Photo: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg
As the pressure on Netanyahu escalated, it emerged that he had been fitted with a heart monitor after being hospitalized over the weekend, sparking an avalanche of rumors about the health of Israel's longest-serving prime minister.
Netanyahu, 73, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after an overnight stay due to dehydration and dizziness, his office said.
He has since been fitted with a subcutaneous heart monitor that monitors his heartbeat.
In a weekend video message, Mr. Netanyahu tried to make light of his hospitalization, which he blamed on the heat.
“Yesterday I was with my wife in the Sea of Galilee, in the sun, no hat, no water. A bad idea,” he said.
In late March, Mr. Netanyahu was forced to put his legal reform on hold due to unprecedented protests and strikes in Israeli society and industry.
In June, he announced that he was relaunching the reform movement and stressed that he was working to reach an “understanding” with his opponents.
But that didn’t calm the protest leaders, who called for increased demonstrations across the country while plans will not be cancelled.
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