Judicial reform: Anger and grief in Israel

For hours, thousands of Israelis blocked one of the highways crossing Tel Aviv, a major city along Israel's Mediterranean coast. To the north of the city, a car sped into a crowd of protesters, injuring several.

Until the very last second, demonstrators tried to stop the Knesset from voting on a contested bill that could limit Supreme Court power considerably. Protests and blockades lasted well into the night, and serious scuffles between police and protesters erupted on several occasions. So far, 58 arrests, some violent, and scores of injured people have been reported.

Police deployed water cannons to disperse protesters and in some instances continued using them through the night. For 29 weeks and counting, people across Israel have been taking to the streets to protest. So far, they have not been able to convince the ultrareligious right-wing government to compromise.

Israeli lawyers and lawmakers celebrated having passed the key part of Netanhayhu's divisive plan to overhaul the judiciary with a selfie with Israel's Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin (seen here in the center, foreground). The bill passed on Monday morning with 64-0 out of 120 votes. The opposition boycotted the decision and announced an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Shortly before the vote in the Knesset took place, hundreds of protesters blocked one of the main roads leading to the parliamentary building. This protester donned an eyeless mask depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while she took part in a sit-in. Over the weekend, hopes had grown that a compromise might be achieved. But Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party declined.

This young man in Tel Aviv captured the incandescent attitude of many protesters well when he kicked into the air. Large parts of Israel's society reject the plans by Netanyahu's coalition. One student standing before the Knesset said: "I am very sad about what is happening in this country. You can tell by what's happening on the streets that everyone is so angry."

Critics of Netanyahu's government set up a protest camp in front of the Knesset building and carried national flags through the encampment. The weekend saw one of the largest protests since the movement began in January, with hundreds of thousands of participants.

"A black day for Israeli democracy" is what three leading newspapers ran as their headline the morning after the Knesset's vote. Opponents of the decision are full of grief, rage, and disappointment. Further protests are expected and the medical association has announced a strike.