Protests and Strikes Paralyze Israel as Netanyahu Faces Pressure to Halt Judicial Reforms

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu survived a no-confidence vote in the Knesset amid the largest wave of protests in Israel's history. The country's largest labor union announced a major strike in opposition to Netanyahu's months-long attempt to push through widely-derided judicial reforms that opponents say will pull the country toward an autocracy. The proposed reforms would significantly weaken the country's judiciary and make it harder to remove Netanyahu from power. The strike has caused flight cancellations and port closures. Protests have taken place across Israel for the last four months, sparked by anger at controversial judicial reforms pushed by Netanyahu's government.