Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart this afternoon to Berlin, after cutting his trip short following criticism from top security officials due to a classified security incident earlier this week.
The Israeli prime minister was met with protesters at Ben-Gurion airport to resist the ongoing judicial overhaul.
Netanyahu is set to meet on Thursday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who are expected to take advantage of the visit to Berlin to publicly criticize the judicial coup and Israeli policy in the West Bank.
For his part, Netanyahu plans to focus on three central issues: advancing the sale of the Israeli Arrow 3 interceptor missile system to Germany at a high price, enlisting European countries to harshen their relations with Iran in light of the Islamic Republic’s growing ties with Russia, and pushing cooperative projects between Germany and Israel with the Arab states who are signatories to the Abraham Accords.
Protest organizers were given police approval on Tuesday to demonstrate at the airport during Netanyahu's departure. Police Central District Commander, Maj. Gen Avi Biton announced that the police “views the right to protest as a cornerstone of a democratic country, and therefore we enable every citizen to practice their basic right to protests.”
Organizers expected that as of 12:30 P.M on Wednesday, thousands of cars would be on roads leading to the airport in order to disrupt Netanyahu’s flight to the German capital.
Another day of nation-wide protest, dubbed “The day of escalating resistance,” to the government’s judicial coup is planned for Thursday, with demonstrations, marches, and other events scheduled across the country. For the previous two weeks, the protest movement held a “day of resisting dictatorship” and a “day of disruption,” where protesters blocked major roads and clashed with police.