Hundreds of thousands of Israelis stopped working on Monday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to reform the country's judicial system, paralyzing the country. It followed chaos on Sunday night after Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had become the first member of his Likud Party to speak out against the reforms, which Gallant had warned were a genuine threat to Israel's security.

The suggested changes proposed by Netanyahu's coalition would endanger the independence of the Supreme Court and limit judges' powers, according to critics, and have faced stiff opposition with Israelis regularly taking to the streets to demonstrate. After night-long spontaneous mass protests, President Isaac Herzog made a statement, calling on the government to stop the legislative process immediately, saying, "The entire nation is deeply concerned. Security, the economy, society - all are threatened."

With the iconic names like McDonald's and leading universities taking part in the protestors under Histadrut, Israel's trade union umbrella group, Israel's Airport Authority confirmed no flights were departing from Ben-Gurion Airport. The situation looks grave, with the whole country paralyzed because of a reform ostensibly targeted to serve particular interests. Some fear that Israel's security could be on the line while others worry that the economic stability of the country might be in peril due to the ongoing protests.