Israelis launch 'Day Of Resistance' against judicial plan

STORY: Protests take place across Israel Thursday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a compromise deal for his government’s planned judicial overhaul.

In Jerusalem... people in protective suits painted a long red line along roads leading to Israel’s Supreme Court with the slogan “Drawing the line” in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

Police say they had arrested five people who had disguised themselves as workers to carry out the action.

The hard-right government's drive to limit Supreme Court’s powers while increasing its own power in selecting judges has caused alarm in Israel and abroad about the country's democratic checks and balances as protests have swelled for weeks. Renana Raz attended one near Tel Aviv University.

"We are here to protect our democracy, our country, because we feel that our country is under brutal attack of the government, the Israeli government,"

Protestors called Thursday a “day of resistance” as they blocked roads and clashed with police.

Women dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets in reference to the totalitarian novel-turned-TV-series 'The Handmaid's Tale', marched in formation…

Israel President Isaac Herzog had unveiled alternative changes to the judiciary Wednesday but the Israeli cabinet secretary confirmed the government coalition was not behind the proposal. He warned that Israel was at a dangerous turning point.

"Whoever thinks that a true civil war, where human life is at stake, is a border we won't reach, has no clue, specifically now in the 75th year of the state of Israel, the abyss is at arm’s reach."

"A civil war is a red line. I won't let that happen, at any cost and in every way."

Netanyahu visited Germany Thursday for a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz where he defended his judicial plan.

"But the ideas that are presented in Israel as though this is a break with democracy is not true. Israel was, Israel remains a liberal democracy, not different. And as strong and vibrant as it was before and as Europe is today, we are not going to deviate from that one bit. And we're committed to it."

Netanyahu has been formally barred from involvement in the initiative because he is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies.