The BBC releases a video report about the anti-judicial reform protests. Thousands of protesters have caused major disruption to traffic in Tel Aviv, amid nationwide demonstrations against the proposed reforms. The BBC also publishes an accompanying article on the subject.

Sky News reports on our main story, that three people have been wounded after a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a crowded street in Tel Aviv before being shot and killed. One of the wounded was in critical condition following Thursday night’s shooting on Dizengoff Street, a popular thoroughfare filled with shops and restaurants. Reuters adds that The Islamist militant group, Hamas, claimed the shooter, a 23-year-old from the occupied West Bank, as a member.

The Guardian releases a piece on Israel’s tech sector, saying “There are increasing signs too the famously resilient tech sector is under pressure. A recent report by the Israeli business publication Calcalist suggested that 85bn shekels (£20bn) in capital has been taken out of Israel in the two months since the new government was sworn in and the shekel was the world’s third worst-performing currency in February, falling to a three-year low against the dollar. Economists globally have predicted a possible downgrade of Israel’s credit rating – unwelcome news for the hi-tech sector, which by some estimates is 90% funded by outside investors.”

The Guardian also reports on the relationship between different factions in the West Bank: “In defiance of the West Bank’s semi-autonomous governing body, the Palestinian Authority (PA), armed resistance to the Israeli occupation is growing, and the boundaries between factions are blurring as their interests begin to merge. ‘The PA are against us; they arrest and torture us. They sold out for money while we protect this land with our blood,’ said a 25-year-old wearing a silver headband and the insignia of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Brigades, who spoke on the condition he was not named. ‘I have come from Nablus today to support our brothers. We face the occupation wherever it is. You can see by our numbers, look how many there are here today. For every martyr they kill, 10 take his place’.”

Reuters and The Telegraph report that Israeli actor and singer Chaim Topol, best known for his role as Tevye the dairyman in the musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, has died in Israel aged 87. Topol, known by his last name alone, won worldwide fame talking and singing and dancing his way through “If I Were A Rich Man” and other hits from the show on stage and on screen in the 1971 film version.

All the Israeli media covers President Herzog’s dramatic address to the nation last night that was broadcast live on Israeli TV. In his speech Herzog spoke of “our nation being torn apart before my eyes. What is happening here is a disaster.” Referring to the current version of the judicial reform bill he said, “the legislation, as it is now being discussed in the committee needs to pass from this world, it is misguided, brutal and undermines our democratic foundations.” He continued, “It must be replaced by another, that is agreed, and immediately. Our democracy is paramount.  An independent and robust judicial system is a supreme value. Maintaining human rights, men and women alike, with an emphasis on minorities, and on the special and rich Israeli mosaic – are supreme values. And also, diversifying the judicial system so that it is a home for all citizens is a supreme value. And a healthy, stable and clear relationship between the authorities – is also a top value. It’s a possible formula, it’s a formula at hand. On a small gap, even if it is substantial – you don’t destroy the house….To the leaders of the state, the coalition and the government in charge, I say: we are at a tipping point… You must make a decision – coalition and opposition alike – whether the State of Israel and its citizens are above all, or ego and the narrow political interests will kick us off the edge of the cliff. You ask me to help, I am ready to help you, but the responsibility is on you – on all factions of the house. The choice is one: either a disaster or a solution. If you choose to continue on the path you have followed so far – the chaos is on your hands. History will judge you. Take responsibility and immediately.”

Similarly, all the Israeli media cover the latest “day of resistance” yesterday. According to Channel 12 News there were protests at 130 different locations across the country. Protestors blocked Prime Minister Netanyahu’s route to the airport, so he arrived by police helicopter to meet the US Secretary of Defence before departing to Italy on an official visit. Yediot Ahronot reports on thousands of people marching in Tel Aviv along a central boulevard, waving flags and chanting anti-reform and anti-Netanyahu slogans such as “the time has come to overthrow the despot”. Protesters blocked a major intersection and police diverted traffic to alternate routes. In Jerusalem hundreds of IDF reservists gathered outside the headquarters of conservative think tank the Kohelet Policy Forum which is widely credited with masterminding the plan. Protesters were holding up a sign saying “Kohelet Forum tearing Israel”. Protesters also blocked Highway 4 outside Ra’anana causing massive traffic congestion that lasted long after demonstrators were cleared by police. Hundreds continued to wave Israeli flags on the wayside. In northern Israel, dozens of sailing boats, kayaks and other small vessels blocked the entrance to the Port of Haifa as part of the protest to prevent trading vessels from making their way in or out of Israel’s busiest seaport.

Kan News notes Prime Minister Netanyahu is continuing his visit to Rome and will meet this afternoon with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Officials in Netanyahu’s bureau said that the Italian government had set the meeting, which would continue as planned in wake of the Tel Aviv terror attack, due to its political importance. The prime minister held a situation assessment and made several decisions, primarily to beef up the security forces in the field.

Haaretz covers the decision of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to remove Ami Eshed, the police’s Tel Aviv district commander for being too lenient towards the protestors. According to the paper Ben-Gvir also reprimanded police chief Shabtai for not effectively stopping the protesters from blocking the main Ayalon Highway. Police sources added that Ben-Gvir was furious that the highway was blocked for 90 minutes, and accused the commissioner – as well as the Tel Aviv district commander – of not enacting his policy. However the paper reports: “Last Friday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sent Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai a letter commending him for his ‘personal handling of the attempts at anarchy’ at anti-government protests in Tel Aviv earlier that week, where police used unusually harsh measures against demonstrators, including the use of stun grenades and violent arrests. Ben-Gvir also demanded that Shabtai summon the Tel Aviv Police District Commander Ami Eshed for a conversation to clarify the police’s policy on placing roadblocks. Former police minister Omer Bar-Lev described Eshed’s removal as “a disgrace.” Writing on Twitter, Bar-Lev called the move “political cleansing, just like in the most benighted of dictatorships, by a minister who is a dangerous member of the ‘hilltop youth,’ someone whose presence in the office of the National Security Ministry represents a clear and present danger to the security of the State of Israel.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Thursday night that Eshed’s dismissal was “totally insane.” According to Lapid, Ben-Gvir “did this because he is disappointed that not enough blood was shed. He is openly saying that he is disappointed with the lack of violence. We have a National Security Minister who openly calls for violence, and tell police officers that they will be dismissed if they don’t encourage violence.”

Channel 12 News reports that the head of the Air Force has relieved a colonel reservist fighter pilot of his duties after he called for fellow pilots to refuse orders to show up for duty over the government’s proposed judicial reforms. The pilot said the decision was unjust, and that he would appeal it. According to the report the reservist officer, Col. Gilad Peled was suspended indefinitely over his “conduct around the current events.” He was the former commander of an Airbase, who recently gave interviews highlighting concerns over continued service in the context of the dramatic proposed change to the judicial system.

In Israel Hayom Yoav Limor focuses on the responsible dialogue within the ranks of the army. He writes, “A responsible government and army must do two things: The first is to listen to the voices heard and try to understand where they are coming from; the second is to see what can be done to address the issues, not worsen them.” He notes the “effort to stem the tide” of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. “In a conversation with reserve soldiers, along with the IDF Chief of Staff, he spoke against the insubordination and said that it is eroding the country’s security, but also stated that ‘those who lash out at IDF soldiers, whether they are from the right or the left, have no place in the public system.’ It is doubtful whether his words will make his government colleagues, who are focused on getting likes on social media at the expense of our country’s best men, budge even a little bit. The only one who can bring change is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains silent even though the ultimate responsibility falls upon his shoulders. Without a statement of leadership from Netanyahu and his government’s attention to the voices, this hot potato is left to the IDF and the IAF. The discussion that took place today in the airforce shows us that there is still something left to discuss and someone to discuss it with, but we cannot be mistaken: this crisis is still upon us, and it is bigger, more threatening, and more volatile than ever.”