After the tempestuous protests against his government's proposed shakeup of the legal system, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday compared protesters to the settlers that rampaged through the Palestinian town of Huwara earlier this week.
In a televised statement to the nation from the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, Netanyahu accused protesters of "crossing red lines" and "plunging the country into anarchy" after hundreds blocked main thoroughfares in Tel Aviv and clashed with police.
"The freedom to demonstrate is not the freedom to bring the country to a halt. The one who said this 20 years ago was Supreme Court chief justice Aharon Barak," Netanyahu said, invoking who proponents of the government's reform accuse of eroding the balance between the executive branch and the judiciary.
"The freedom to demonstrate is a license to plunge the country into anarchy.
In a democracy, there are clear rules on how to conduct the debate... We will not tolerate a situation where everyone does as they see fit... We will not accept breaking the law, not in Tel Aviv, not in Huwara, not anywhere else."
The protests were sparked by proposed reforms that opponents argue would erode the independence of the judiciary and consolidate power in the executive branch.
On Monday, dozens of settlers rampaged through the West Bank town of Huwara, torching cars and homes, in retaliation for the killing of brothers Hallel and Yagel Yaniv hours earlier by a Palestinian gunman.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog expressed his concern over the rising tensions and violence in the rally in Tel Aviv but said that the controversy can also become an "opportunity to entrench democracy."
Herzog acknowledged the concerns raised by opponents of the reform, but argued that the current debate presented an opportunity to strengthen democratic institutions and enhance public trust in the judiciary.
He further called to ensure that the rule of law is maintained and that the judiciary remains independent, but at the same time, urged all parties to engage in a constructive dialogue to bring about a "constitutional watershed moment."
Herzog's remarks came hours after a mass rally of reform opponents in Tel Aviv escalated to violence with protesters clashing with police officers.
At first, the police stood by to maintain order, but as the protesters blocked the main thoroughfare, an order was given, and stun grenades were thrown into the crowd. The police then deployed crowd dispersal measures against the protesters, including water cannons and tear gas.