A large group consisting of hundreds of Israeli activists embarked on a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Wednesday, with the purpose of protesting the proposed judicial overhaul by the far-right government, which they fear poses a threat to the principles of liberal democracy in the country.
"It is time for a decisive move," said protest organizer Shikma Bressler of the 70-kilometer (43-mile) multi-day march, set to reach the Knesset or parliament by Saturday. "We need you... to join us."
The march is part of a monthslong wave of protests that saw thousands block roads and train stations across the country Tuesday, ahead of an upcoming parliament vote on a key clause of the reform agenda.
Carrying Israeli flags, water bottles and umbrellas against the scorching sun, they set off in the morning, took a lengthy noontime break in the shade of a park, and resumed the walk around 5:30 p.m. (1430 GMT).
"We will get to Jerusalem on Saturday night and set up tents around the Knesset," said Radman, 38. "We hope that the government of Israel will hear the nation and stop the destruction."
Campaigner Moshe Radman told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the protesters would walk for about four hours, then break for the night and start again around sunrise Thursday.
The judicial reform plan, announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in January, has split the nation.
It has sparked one of Israel's biggest-ever protest movements, with weekly demonstrations often drawing tens of thousands.
It has also drawn international criticism, including from Israel's close ally the United States, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
U.S. President Joe Biden has regularly voiced criticism of the proposed judicial reforms.
"My recommendation to Israeli leaders is not to rush," Biden was quoted as saying by columnist Thomas Friedman in The New York Times.
"I believe the best outcome is to continue to seek the broadest possible consensus here."
Tuesday's mass protests, billed as a "national day of resistance," came after lawmakers adopted in a first reading a bill to limit the "reasonability" clause that now allows the judiciary to strike down government decisions.
The Israeli parliament is due to begin the much-awaited second and third readings of the controversial bill on Monday.
The government, which includes Netanyahu's extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, argues the changes are necessary to ensure a better balance of power.
Some critics of Netanyahu, who is fighting corruption charges in court, have argued he is seeking to undermine a judicial system he has accused of targeting him unfairly for political reasons.
The "reasonability" clause was cited most recently by Israel's top court to force Netanyahu to remove from his cabinet Aryeh Deri of the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, over a previous tax evasion conviction.
Other proposals include giving the government a greater say in the appointment of judges.
The Israel Medical Association on Wednesday announced a two-hour strike to protest the government's reforms.
