Israel protests – news: Far-right groups attack Arabs at pro-Netanyahu march

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog has urged prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition party leaders to start an “immediate negotiation process” on judicial reform after Mr Netanyahu delayed his plans to hand the government greater power over the courts, The Times of Israel reports this morning.

In calls with Mr Yetanyahu and Yair Lapid, chair of main opposition party Yesh Atid, and Benny Gantz, Blue and White coalition leader, the president requested each side set up negotiation teams so talks could begin quickly.

Mr Gantz soon after announced that he had asked Knesset members Gideon Sa’ar, Chili Tropper, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, and Ronen Aviani, a lawyer, with leading the talks on behalf of his party, The Times reported.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul has unleashed the most intense social unrest in Israel in decades.

Tens of thousands of people have repeatedly taken to the streets against the plan – including spontaneous mass demonstrations that erupted across the country late on Sunday after he fired his defence minister for questioning the overhaul.

Here is a look at how Israel has been plunged into its most serious domestic crisis in decades.

Britain has welcomed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delay to his judicial overhaul that has sparked mass protests. Foreign secretary James Cleverly urged him to seek a “long-term compromise” with his critics over the widely-criticised plan.

Mr Netanyahu announced the delay to the proposals from Israel’s most right-wing government in history by saying he wanted to “avoid civil war through dialogue”.

His proposed legislation would have protected him from being deemed unfit to rule, which critics say will shield Mr Netanyahu from his corruption trial.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak stressed the importance of upholding “democratic values” to Mr Netanyahu as they met in Downing Street last week.

On Monday Mr Cleverly said: “The UK welcomes the decision today by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause legislation to reform Israel’s judiciary.

“The UK enjoys a deep and historic relationship with Israel. As the prime minister stressed in his meeting with PM Netanyahu last week, it is vital that the shared democratic values that underpin that relationship are upheld, and a robust system of checks and balances are preserved.

“We urge all parties to find common ground and seek a long-term compromise to this sensitive issue.”

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Israel in a unified show of strength in protest against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Since the start of 2023, weekly protests have been held in opposition to Mr Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary.

Protesters have called on the reforms to be scrapped and for the prime minister to resign. On Sunday, however, Mr Netanyahu fired his defence minister after the former army general echoed the protesters’ calls to bring proposed reforms to a halt, prompting international concern.

But how does this affect travel to Israel? Here’s everything you need to know.

The White House says Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still set to attend this week’s second “Summit for Democracy” convened by the Biden administration despite widespread protests over proposed legislation that critics say would undermine Israel’s independent judiciary.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday that Israel remains one of the 121 nations invited to participate in the summit, which will take place virtually and be hosted by the White House on Wednesday.

My colleague Andrew Feinberg reports:

The ‘reforms’ proposed by the hard-right coalition strike at the independence of the judiciary – and take away legal checks and balances on political actions, writes our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta.

History shows that while popular demonstrations can affect change, there is often a backlash, writes ^{Noah Berlatsky.}

The FCDO current advises against all travel to the following areas only:

• Gaza
• the Sheba’a Farms and Ghajjar
• within 500m of the border with Lebanon (the ‘Blue Line’) east of Metula, including the northern edge of the town and and within 500m of the border with Syria (the ‘Alpha Line’)

It advises against all but essential travel to:

• areas north of and including Jenin city, Burqin and Arranah in the north of the West Bank. This includes Jenin refugee camp and all areas north of this until the Jalamah checkpoint for access to Israel
• the city of Nablus, Joseph’s Tomb, and the Balata and New Askar refugee camps near Nablus and the village of Huwara, south of Nablus

While the FCDO does not explicitly advise against travel to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, current advice states it is aware of “a shooting incident in central Tel Aviv. If you’re in the immediate area you should take care and follow the advice of the local authorities.”

It adds: “In Israel and the West Bank, there is a risk of violent incidents, including stabbings, shootings, arson, vehicle rammings and stone throwing attacks on people and vehicles.

“These incidents have involved protestors (both Israelis and Palestinians), Israeli security forces, and civilians (including Israeli settlers). There is a risk that tourists or bystanders could be caught up in any of these types of incident.”

Current guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises potential travellers to check with their travel company or airline for an update before travelling.

“In Israel, strikes were called on 27 March which will impact airports, ports, transport systems, hospitals and other sectors,” it reads.

“There have also been large political demonstrations across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which have the potential to escalate and become violent.

“You should check the local news before travelling to see if there have been recent clashes, be vigilant, avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations, avoid areas which have been the site of recent violence and follow the instructions of the local authorities.

“If you are in a location where an Israeli security operation or armed clashes are ongoing, you should stay inside and wait for the local authorities to confirm that the situation is calm before moving to a different location.”