Protests in Israel disturb Austin visit

ALBAWABA - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's visit to Israel was deferred by 24 hours to Thursday in the wake of protests against judicial reforms that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to introduce.

Israeli media said Austin will meet with Netanyahu and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, at a place near Ben Gurion Airport, on Thursday instead of Wednesday, as originally planned.

The meeting was scheduled to be held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in central Tel Aviv.

The change on the meeting's location, however, came due to the proximity of the ministry's location to the center of the protests.

Media outlets did not announce Austin's arrival, which was slated for early Thursday.

Lately, Austin was in Cairo, where he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Egyptian counterpart. His visits to Egypt and Israel come within a tour of the Middle East, which also includes stops in Jordan and Iraq.

In recent weeks, thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest against the change in the judicial system. More demonstrations are scheduled for Thursday, with roads expected to be closed.

Israel's parliament, or Knesset, recently approved a draft "Judicial Reform Law," which would limit the power of the Supreme Court and give the government the upper hand over the judge appointment committee.