Thousands of people in Israel have once again protested against the controversial judicial reform of the right-wing religious government. In the center of Tel Aviv, demonstrators marched through the streets for the eleventh Saturday in a row with Israeli flags and protest signs. It read, among other things: "No to dictatorship" or "Israel is not yet Iran". Rallies were also planned in cities such as Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba.

For more than two months, thousands of people have regularly taken to the streets in Israel against the comprehensive bill. Among other things, Parliament should be able to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court by a simple majority. In addition, politicians should be given more influence in the appointment of judges. The coalition wants to push through core elements of the controversial reform in a fast-track procedure by the end of the month. Critics see the separation of powers as a pillar of democracy in danger and warn of a dangerous national crisis.

A compromise proposal presented on Wednesday by Israeli President Izchak Herzog was immediately rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is unbalanced and only cements the current situation. The opposition backed the proposal. "It is not perfect, but a fair compromise that allows us to live here together," said opposition leader Yair Lapid. In the event of a civil war, there are only losers. Herzog stressed that the proposal was intended as a basis for talks.

On the road with an Israeli license plate

The protest movement is one of the largest in Israel's history and encompasses broad sections of society. There is also increasing resistance from the army. Hundreds of elite officers from the military reserve, for example, announced that they would no longer report for duty from Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinians attacked a car carrying two tourists with stones. According to unconfirmed reports, these were German holidaymakers. As several Israeli media reported on Saturday, the two were traveling in a car-sharing car with an Israeli license plate. A spokeswoman for the military said that those affected were slightly injured and received medical care from Israeli soldiers after the incident. Subsequently, they were handed over to the police.

The army and police initially did not comment on the origin of the tourists. An official confirmation from the German embassy was also pending in the evening. Ambassador Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter about the reports: "A mob that attacks tourists because it does not like their license plate is disgusting and cowardly." He thanked the Palestinian-Israeli citizen who saved them "from the bottom of my heart." According to reports, the man helped the two tourists leave the city.

A video shared on social media showed around two dozen men and teenagers throwing stones at a car on a busy road and initially forcibly preventing it from continuing in stalled traffic. Further footage shows that the logo of the city of Tel Aviv and a sticker with an Israeli flag were attached to the car. The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed at first.

Nablus is one of the Palestinian territories. Israelis are generally prohibited from entering the country. Foreign tourists can visit the city. However, the Federal Foreign Office "strongly advises" against travelling to the region around Nablus. The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been particularly tense for months. During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins next week, further violence is feared.