Disruption at Ben-Gurion Airport as Israelis stage protest inside and outside main terminal

Thousands of protesters gathered inside and around Israel’s global travel hub, Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday, causing traffic jams and several flight delays.

Israel Police reported that 37 protesters were arrested for blocking roads, overrunning barricades, violating public order and refusing to obey instructions.

The protesters waved Israeli flags and banners, while they shouted for “Democracy!” and called out, “This government is criminal!”

The demonstration was part of a continued campaign across the country against the judicial reforms.

Inside the airport terminal, protesters sang the Israeli national anthem, “HaTikvah” (The Hope) when the police asked them to leave.

Videos of protesters being dragged away by police were uploaded to social media.

Outside the terminal, hundreds of protesters lined both sides of the service road, with some demonstrators laying in the middle of the road.

Police authorities arrived on horseback and attempted to keep the lanes open but there were reportedly large traffic jams on the roads leading into the airport.

“The police emphasize that this is a blatant violation of public order – harming the security roads and an attack on officers – and we’ll work to bring down the full severity of the law on those involved,” a police spokesperson said.

The rally continued, despite calls to cancel the protest amid a major Israeli counter-terror operation in the West Bank.

Protest leaders and organizers stated the demonstration would go ahead unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition halted Knesset committee deliberations on a bill to block justices from exercising judicial review over the “reasonableness” of government decisions.

The opposition also called for Knesset Member Simcha Rothman – chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee – to cancel the debates while the Jenin operation was underway. 

“MK Rothman – when there is a large military operation, you do not continue with legislation that tears apart the people,” Knesset Member Gilad Kariv wrote on Twitter.

Kariv, an opposition Knesset member from the Labor party, served as chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee under the previous government.

“Please announce that you are canceling the Reasonableness Standard debates as long as the operation in Jenin continues. Put the State of Israel and its soldiers ahead of extreme legislation by you and Justice Minister Yariv Levin,” he wrote.

Rothman moved forward with the scheduled parliamentary session on Monday, claiming the bill would be approved by the panel and advanced to the Knesset on Tuesday.

Many outgoing passengers arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport earlier than usual to avoid any delays caused by the demonstrations, including a group of nearly 150 Israeli youth athletes scheduled to fly to South Korea at midnight.

“It messed things up for us, but we got over it,” said one of the parents. “We love our country and we love our democracy.”

Protesters also blocked access to a smaller regional airport in Haifa on Monday morning, preventing vehicles from entering the terminal.