Trains from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem packed, albeit less than last week, ahead of protest

In vastly fewer numbers than last Monday’s protest in front of the Knesset, protesters against the government’s judicial reform gather on packed Tel Aviv train platforms to join the tens of thousands expected this afternoon in Jerusalem.

One of them, Shiri, who declines to share her full name, has taken another vacation day to add her support to the protest, scheduled to coincide with the coalition bringing its first judicial reform bill for a Knesset plenum vote this evening.

“No, I don’t think it will change,” Shiri says of the government’s plan to cement government control over judicial appointments and constrain Supreme Court review of Basic Laws, the subject of today’s vote.

Nevertheless, “we still need to protest,” she adds, Israeli flag in hand.

Reflecting the sentiment of many in the crowd, Shiri says she hopes the public pressure might bring about a softening of the reforms, or encourage “moderate forces in Likud to dare to raise their voices.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, joined by its far-right and religious coalition partners, has said it’s determined to pass the first reading of the bills before engaging in “dialogue” over the overhaul’s provisions.