First major legislation (against "unreasonableness" grounds of the
Supreme Court) passed by the
Knesset in July 2023, but was cancelled on 1st January 2024. [a][3][4]
From January to October 2023, large-scale protests took place across
Israel in response to the government's push for a
wide-ranging judicial reform. The proposed reformed aimed to among other, change the makeup of the
Judicial Selection Committee so that control over the appointment of judges was effectively given to the government. Secondly, the reform would prevent the
Supreme Court of Israel from ruling on the validity of a
Basic Law. Thirdly, the reform would prohibit the Supreme Court to use "
unreasonableness" as grounds for review of administrative decisions. Also, minister would be permitted to appoint their own legal advisers rather than legal adviser operating under the direction of the
Attorney-General. Lastly, the reform proposed would change the system for selecting judges, so that the governing coalition would gain the power to appoint judges among other plans.[9] In July 2023, the Knesset passed the law to abolish the Supreme Court's ability to review government actions on grounds of reasonableness has been passed in, which so far is the only piece legislation of the judicial reform plan to have been passed in parliament.[a].[10]
The reform was promoted by Justice Minister
Yariv Levin with the backing of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of the other parties in
the governing coalition,[11][12] but was opposed by opposition parties as well as a large segment of the Israeli public. The protests took place in cities across the country from 7 January until 7 October, when the
Israel–Hamas war began; sporadic demonstrations continued until 12 October, when the formation of a
war cabinet paused all judicial reform efforts.[13][14][15][16] They were faced with questions on how much, if at all, they should focus on Palestinian rights.[17] Recent statements by Israeli figures increasingly linked the aim of the reform to the expansion of
Israeli settlements and further annexation of
Israeli-occupiedPalestinian territories.[18]
Since the
political crisis beginning in 2018, multiple snap elections were held following unsuccessful attempts to form a
governing coalition. The
2021 election was the first to have resulted in a successful government formation. The incumbent coalition, which held a one-seat majority, collapsed in June 2022 after a member defected. In the
snap legislative election that followed, the
incumbent government, led by
Yair Lapid, was defeated by a coalition of right-wing parties, led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu,[19] who formed a
new government that took office on 29 December 2022.[20]
On 4 January 2023, newly appointed Justice Minister
Yariv Levin announced
plans to reform Israel's judiciary, including limiting the power of the Supreme Court and of the government's legal councillors and granting the governing coalition a majority on the committee that appoints judges.[21] Following the announcement, several organisations, including
Crime Minister and
Standing Together, announced their intention to organise protests in
Tel Aviv on 7 January.[22] On 17 January, the Supreme Court ruled that the recently-appointed Interior Minister
Aryeh Deri was unfit for the position due to his criminal record.[23] Netanyahu, who was
on trial for corruption-related charges himself, was forced to withdraw Deri.[24]
After Netanyahu announced a pause in the judicial legislation on 27 March, counter-protesters started organising their own demonstrations, with tens of thousands protesting in favour of the changes.[25] Negotiations aimed at reaching a compromise collapsed in June, and the government resumed its plans to pass parts of the legislation; in response, the anti-reform movement ramped up its activities.[26]
The Jerusalem Post reported that funding for the anti-reform protests primarily came from the public, both in terms of small donations and through volunteer work; larger donors included tech entrepreneurs, as well as organizations including the
New Israel Fund, Blue White Future, Our Way, and
Commanders for Israel's Security. Supporters named in the article are
Ilan Shiloah, Orni Petruschka, Itay Ben-Horin, and Idan Tendler.[27]
Anti-reform demonstrations
7 January–11 February
The first protest took place on 7 January in
Tel Aviv'sHabima Square. It was initially organized by
Standing Together, a
socialist Arab-Jewish organisation,[28] as a protest against the formation of the
thirty-seventh government of Israel.[29] Following Yariv Levin's announcement on 4 January that he planned to reform Israel's judiciary, other organisations, which included Crime Minister, joined the protest, leading a concurrent march from Habima.[29] Omdim Beyachad's protest included
Ayman Odeh as a guest speaker.[29][30] The combined protests included approximately 20,000 people.[31] In the meantime, a smaller protest took place in
Haifa that was attended by 200 people.[32] On 14 January, a second protest was organized at Habima, which was attended by approximately 80,000 protesters, and was joined by smaller rallies in Haifa and
Jerusalem that were attended by several thousands.[33]
From 14 January to 11 February, protests against the reform were held on a weekly basis in
Kaplan Street, alongside smaller protests in Jerusalem, Haifa,
Beersheba,[34] and other cities like
Ness Ziona and
Herzliya.[35] The Kaplan protests were regularly attended by numbers ranging from 60,000 to 150,000 people.[36][37] Protests in other cities regularly attracted smaller numbers.[38]
More than 100,000 people gathered for protests in Jerusalem on 13 February,[41][42] while individuals in several industries, including doctors and tech workers, went on strike.[43] That day, the Constitution committee voted 9–7 in favor of the reforms.[44]
Two more weekly protests were held on Saturdays in various cities around Israel, with a central protest in Kaplan. Both numbered over 100,000.[45][46] The second protest was preceded by a performance of 150 members of
Women Building an Alternative wearing red-and-white outfits resembling those worn by handmaids in the television series The Handmaid's Tale. The group appeared in protest against some of the proposed legal changes, which they believe will hurt women.[47] These protests were joined by another protest on 20 February, where over 100,000 protesters gathered outside the Knesset in Jerusalem to protest against an initial plenum vote on several reform-related bills.[48]
1–9 March
1 March was designated by protest organizers as a 'national day of disruption'.[49] Protesters tried to block Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, but police used stun grenades, mounted police, and water cannons against the demonstrators, and arrested several people. Netanyahu and
National Security MinisterItamar Ben-Gvir both said that all protesters blocking the roads are anarchists who should be arrested.[50] Later that evening, the
Prime Minister's wife,
Sara Netanyahu, was spotted at a hair salon in Tel Aviv. Protesters stood outside the salon for three hours while mounted police guarded the entrance until Netanyahu was escorted out by police.[51]
Additional protests took place on 4 and 8 March, with
Channel 12 estimating that over 160,000 people attended the former protests,[52] while Haaretz estimated that over 25,000 attended the latter.[53] On 5 March 2023,
El Al, the national airline of Israel, announced none of the El Al pilots volunteered to fly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara on a state visit to Rome, in an apparent protest against his government.[54][55]
On 8 March, for the occasion of
International Women's Day, thousands of women dressed in red formed a human line on a beachfront of Tel Aviv to protest the planned reforms.[56] Demonstrators at prior women's protests also dressed in red capes and white hoods, as characters from Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale. They condemned the government for the "Talibanization" of Israel.[57] Protestors believe that the reform plan is "patriarchal and biased" and that women's legal rights are at stake more than they have been in years.[58]
On 9 March, the protest movement led to what was referred to as a 'national day of resistance'. Protesters blocked roads and maritime routes, including one of the country's main highways, Ayalon, which connects all of the major traffic routes leading to Tel Aviv. Convoys of cars packed the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway and streamed toward
Ben Gurion Airport's main terminal. The protest at the airport came hours before Netanyahu flew to Rome to meet Italian Prime Minister
Giorgia Meloni.[59][60][61] Members of "
Brothers In Arms" (
Hebrew: אחים לנשק), a reservist protest movement, blocked the entrance to the
Kohelet Policy Forum offices in
Givat Shaul with
sandbags and
barbed wire, in protest for their part in promoting the judicial reform. The movement's co-founder,
Ron Scherf, was arrested and detained for questioning following the demonstration.[62]
11–25 March
According to
Globes, between 150,000–240,000 people protested in Tel Aviv against the reform on 11 March,[63] alongside smaller protests in other cities.[64] Another weekly protest took place on 18 March, which was attended by over 260,000 people.[65] Yet another protest took place on 16 March, while smaller demonstrations took place on 21[66][67] and 22 March.[67] On 23 March, protest leaders declared a 'national day of paralysis', a series of smaller protests and demonstrations in various Israeli cities.[49]
Another protest took place on 25 March in Tel Aviv, with over 195,000 participants according to Channel 12. Smaller protests took place in other cities such as Haifa, Beersheba and
Beit Shemesh.[68] On the same day, Israel's defense minister
Yoav Gallant urged a pause in the judicial reform, stating that the growing social rift is a "clear, immediate and tangible threat to Israel's security." Gallant called for the halt before lawmakers were due to vote the following week on a central part of the government's proposals.[69] The next day, Netanyahu announced his intention to fire Gallant.[70]
Firing of Yoav Gallant and national strike
26 March
On 26 March, in response to the announcement of the firing of
Yoav Gallant,[b] the
Minister of Defense, hundreds of thousands of protesters blocked roads across Israel, in over 150 locations.[72][73]
Asaf Zamir, Israel's Consul General in New York, resigned from his post following Gallant's dismissal in order to "stand up for what is right and fight for the democratic values I believe in". Israeli universities (with the exception of
Ariel University, located in the West Bank) announced an indefinite strike, including cessation of all classes and research in protest at the government's actions. 23 local council leaders announced their intention to start a hunger strike in front of the Prime Minister's office, demanding a halt to the judicial reform.[72]
Protesters escalated and marched towards Netanyahu's residence. There were reports of security barriers being broken down, but these reports were denied by police.[74][75]
27 March
On 27 March, Israel's President
Isaac Herzog called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately halt the legislative process. He said, "for the sake of the unity of the people of Israel, for the sake of responsibility, I am calling on you to stop the legislation immediately. I turn to all the party leaders in the Knesset, coalition, and opposition as one, put the citizens of the nation above all else, and behave responsibly and bravely without further delay."[76]
Histadrut labor federation chair
Arnon Bar-David announced a general nationwide strike, followed by labor unions and major corporations announcing their participation in the strike. Protest leaders from the high-tech industry announced a complete shutdown of the country's tech industry. The leader of the Israel Airports trade union directed airport workers to shut down Ben Gurion Airport. Israel's doctors' union announced an immediate freeze of the health care system. This strike represented the "first time in the history of the State of Israel [that] the business sector, together with the Histadrut and local government, are joining forces to save the country from terrible chaos," said Dubi Amitai, the chair of the Presidium of Israeli Business Organisations.[77] Israel's embassies in the United States and the United Kingdom shut down for the day, joining a worldwide strike of diplomats over the proposed changes to the judicial system.[78]
Mass protests continued throughout Israel later that day, with the largest taking place in front of the
Knesset. Over one hundred thousand people participated in the protest, demanding a complete stop to the legislation.[79]
In response to increasing pressure, Netanyahu agreed to delay the judicial legislation for a month.[80][81] However, protesters stated that they would continue demonstrating until the legislation was shelved entirely.[82] In an agreement with Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened to resign if the legislation were to be halted, Netanyahu promised to promote the foundation of a
National Guard, which was to be headed by Ben-Gvir.[83]
30 March–25 June
From 1 April to 25 June, protests took place in several cities across the country on a weekly basis. The protests in Kaplan averaged between 100,000[84][85] and 200,000[86][87][88][89] people, except for 13 May, when the main protest was cancelled by the organizers due to a series of
clashes between Israel and organizations in the Gaza Strip, and replaced by a smaller demonstration.[90] Another smaller protest took place on 30 March,[91] with additional demonstrations on 10 and 12 April.[92][93] On 20 April, delegates to the
World Zionist Congress from ten countries took part in a march from the congress venue in Jerusalem to Israel's Supreme Court in opposition to the reforms,[94][95] while a protest took place at the
Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly on 23 April.
An additional day of protests took place on 4 May, dubbed a 'national equality day' by the protest organizers. It featured nationwide demonstrations for equal treatment, especially in regard to
exemption from military service given to the
ultra-orthodox. Another target was the rabbinate's control over all issues relating to marriage among Jews in Israel. A protest outside Tel Aviv's
rabbinical court included a group civil wedding for both straight and gay couples, all dressed in pink and standing under a pink
chuppah. Israeli law does not permit
civil marriage.[96][97][98] The 20 May protests were broadened by the organizers to cover, in addition to the judicial reform, the proposed allocation of NIS 13.7 billion to coalition parties as part of the forthcoming state budget, benefitting primarily the ultra-Orthodox community, and the proposed municipal property tax fund which would transfer money from richer, mostly secular, towns to poorer, mostly ultra-Orthodox, ones.[99][100]
On 10 June, around 80,000 protesters participated in the main demonstration in Tel Aviv. They were joined by thousands of others in around 150 locations around the country. Many of the events started with a moment of silence in memory of the victims of a wave of killings in the Arab Israeli community.[101][102]
26 June–6 October
On 26 June, the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee met to advance a bill that would revoke the reasonableness standard, which has previously been used by the courts to block certain administrative decisions by the government and other authorities.[103] As a result, the protest movement ramped up its activities,[26] with the protests being joined by road blockings.[104][105] The weekly protests were joined by a protest on 5 July, after Tel Aviv's police chief Amichai Eshed, who was due to be demoted because of his refusal to use "disproportionate force" against the protesters, announced his resignation,[106][107] and on 9 July, ahead of a scheduled reading on the reasonabless standard bill the following day.[24]
On 27 June, over 300 IDF reservists, organised by the
Brothers in Arms (
Hebrew: אחים לנשק) movement, protested against the reforms outside the home of Yariv Levin.[108] The Israeli police announced that they would investigate whether statements made by former Prime Minister
Ehud Barak and former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff
Yair Golan, in which they called on protesters to engage in
civil disobedience, constitute
sedition.[109][110]
After the reasonableness standard bill passed its first reading, major demonstrations were held on 11 July with protesters taking part in another "day of disruption" by blocking inter-city highways, protesting at Ben Gurion Airport and outside the President's Residence in Jerusalem.[111] Protesters who entered the Knesset building were forced out by security.[112][113] Protesters took part in another day of disruption on 18 July,[114] alongside additional protests on 19 and 20 July.[115][116] The 19 July protests included a partial, two-hour strike by doctors of the
Israel Medical Association.[117]
On the evening of 18 July, protest leaders announced their intention to march from Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv to the Knesset building in Jerusalem. The march began with several hundred people,[118] which became tens of thousands by 22 July. The protesters stopped in
Shoresh on 21 July, before resuming the march on 22 July.[119] According to media reports, this was one of the largest marches of its kind ever to take place in Israel.[120]
A group of 200 Israeli tech companies announced their participation in the 23 July protests.[121] The group, which included
Wix,
Wiz,
Monday and
Redis, chartered 100 buses to allow employees to arrive at the protests.[121] Speaking at a demonstration in Jerusalem that day, former president
Reuven Rivlin said that "the crisis is serious and real", and called on Netanyahu to "save these people from a... [potential] civil war".[notes 1][122] In the same demonstration, former
President of the Supreme CourtAharon Barak said that abolishing the reasonableness cause would lead to a "grave national disaster".[122] Former Supreme Court Justice
Ayala Procaccia made a similar warning.[123]
On 23 July, the Israel Business Forum – a group composed of the 150 largest companies in Israel, which include most
private sector employees – announced it would go on strike the following day as an "emergency measure", calling on Netanyahu to "fulfill his duty" and "stop the legislation immediately".[124] The same day, hundreds of Israeli protesters and local supporters in New York marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in protest of the overhaul.[125]
On 24 July, the Knesset approved the first measure of the reform, which prevents judges from striking down government decisions on grounds of unreasonableness. The entire Knesset opposition boycotted the vote.[10] The
Movement for Quality Government in Israel,
Association for Civil Rights in Israel and
Israel Bar Association, Civil Democratic Movement and the Darkenu advocacy group all filed or planned to file petitions with the
High Court of Justice against this legislation, as were various private individuals.[126][127] In one demonstration after the vote, several protesters were wounded after a vehicle accelerated into them.[128]
On 4 August,
Arthur Dantchik, the main donor to the
Kohelet Policy Forum, the right-wing think tank responsible for designing much of the overhaul, announced that he would cease his donations, following months of protests against him by Israelis in the Philadelphia region.[129]
Between 17 and 18 August, protests took place at the opening of the
Tel Aviv Light Rail, which included demonstrations against the reform and against public transportation not operating on the
Sabbath.[130]
On 22 September 2023, around 3,000 Israelis and American Jews protested outside the
United Nations headquarters in
New York City, as Netanyahu spoke before the
general assembly there. Organisers called it the largest anti-government demonstration outside of Israel since Netanyahu returned to power. A group of about 200 joined the protest, calling themselves the anti-occupation bloc, carrying Palestinian flags and wearing black shirts stating "there is no democracy with occupation". They stated that the struggle against the judicial overhaul does not end with a return to a "democracy for Jews and a military regime for the Palestinians".[131]
7 October–12 October
On 7 October, most protests were cancelled due to the onset of the
Israel–Hamas war. Some demonstrations continued despite the fighting until 12 October, when
National Unity joined an
emergency wartime government, freezing all new, non-emergency legislation, including the judicial reform, as part of the deal.[15][16] Some groups which used to protest against the reform, such as Bonot Alternativa, decided to mobilize their supporters to aid the war effort.[132]
Pro-reform demonstrations
On 27 March, as reports surfaced that Netanyahu may delay the judicial legislation, tens of thousands of supporters of the reform arrived outside the Supreme Court, calling on the government not to fold to pressure and to keep going as planned.[133]
On 3 April, protests in support of the reform took place outside President Herzog's residence. Protesters held signs in Hebrew stating "Benjamin Netanyahu, the people of Israel are with you."[134]
On 15 April, amidst anti-reform demonstrations, the right-wing
Im Tirtzu organization held counter-protests in support of the changes in 12 locations across the country.[135] According to The Times of Israel, "these did not appear to draw large crowds",[135] while according to
Channel 14 the counter-protests attracted thousands of supporters,[136] and according to Arutz Sheva they attracted tens of thousands.[137]
On 19 April, around 300 right-wing protesters gathered outside the home of former Israeli Supreme Court President
Aharon Barak, in support of the proposed judicial changes.[138] In response to these protests, thousands gathered there the next day in a show of support for him and in opposition to the government's plan to weaken the judiciary. Barak went out to meet the crowd, who chanted "thank you" to the 86-year-old retired judge.[139]
On 22 April, thousands of counter-protesters demonstrated in support of the judicial reform, including at the Shilot intersection near the entrance to the city of
Modi'in, at the Karion intersection in
Kiryat Bialik, and at the Kfar Ganim mall in
Petah Tikva, as well as in other cities like
Rosh HaAyin,
Ashkelon, and
Hadera. In Rosh HaAyin, the protesters dressed up as Yemenite slaves and performed an act with working tools.[140]
On 27 April, around 200,000 supporters (according to The Jerusalem Post, the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and police estimates quoted by The Times of Israel) of the government's legal reform gathered outside the Knesset in Jerusalem. The speakers included Yariv Levin, Simcha Rothman, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich.[141][142][143][144]
Since the beginning of the protest movement against the judicial overhaul, the link between the protests and the Palestinian conflict has been subject of interrogation. For instance,The Times of Israel has written that protesters were faced with a continuous question of "how much, if at all, should the demonstrations focus on Palestinian rights?"[17] The debate on what implications the judicial overhaul would have for the Palestinians were discussed on articles and opinion pieces on
Vox, Foreign Policy, and Haaretz.[148][149][150]
Moreover, some observers have argued that the judicial reforms and
Israeli occupation of the West Bank are connected, and that the Israeli government promotes the reforms in order to further the occupation.[151] Some also argue that the Israeli constitutional framework desired by some protestors will not be achievable until Israel's strategy in the West Bank is changed.[152] On 9 August 2023, hundreds of Israeli and American academics published a statement claiming that the ultimate purpose of the judicial overhaul was to "annex more land, and ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population".[18][153] The statement characterized that the Palestinian population living under the
Israeli-occupied territories in the
West Bank and
Gaza as living under
apartheid,[18] and it criticized Jewish American leaders for paying insufficient attention to this "elephant in the room." It also called on them to directly support the Israeli protest movement, while also calling on the protest movement to embrace equality for Palestinians and Jews within Israel and the occupied territories.[153] The initial 800 signatories include Jewish American academics, Israelis, Palestinians, religious leaders, and lawyers.[153] Prominent Israeli signatories included historians
Ilan Pappé and
Benny Morris, and former speaker of the
KnessetAvraham Burg.[153]
On 3 September 2023,
Youth Against Dictatorship released an open letter signed by 230 Israeli high school students in Tel Aviv, who collectively refused to serve in the IDF, citing their opposition to the judicial reform and a refusal to serve
Israeli settlements.[154] One of the group's members told Haaretz that the overhaul had led them to connect the reform to the occupation after looking at the politicians pushing the reform, who are all settlers: Smotrich, Rothman and Ben-Gvir.[155]
On 9 September 2023, a statement signed by over 3,500 Israeli academics, artists, writers and former officials called on U.S. President Joe Biden and
United Nations Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres to avoid meeting with Netanyahu, claiming that the ruling government undermined Israeli democracy and was "ignoring the historical conflict that is tearing Israel apart – the forceful domination of the Palestinian people."[156]
^
abBohbot, Amir (7 October 2023).
"המחאה מתגייסת: אחים לנשק הודיעו על תמיכה בגיוס מילואים" [The protesters are mobilizing: Brothers in Arms announced their support for the recruitment of reserves]. Walla! (in Hebrew). Retrieved 7 October 2023.
^אלפי מפגינים נגד הממשלה בכיכר הבימה: "זו הפיכה משטרית" [Thousands of protesters against the government in Habima Square: 'This is a coup d'état']. Ice (in Hebrew). 7 January 2023.
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^Peleg, Bar; Shimoni, Ran; Hasmonai, Adi (7 January 2023).
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^Kotev, Adam; Levi, Liran; Turgeman, Meir; Glickman, Eitan; Golditsch, Haim (14 January 2023).
80 אלף הפגינו בכיכר הבימה נגד המהפכה המשפטית [80 thousand demonstrated in Habima Square against the revolution]. Ynet (in Hebrew).
Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
^Hilai, Sivan; El-Hai, Lior; Tamari, Liran; Kuriel, Ilana; Elbaz-Alush, Korin; Tugerman, Meir; Ben-Zur, Ra'anan (11 February 2023).
רבבות הפגינו בת"א, על איילון. לבני לממשלה: "אתם שיכורים מכוח, זה פאשיזם" [Many protested in Tel Aviv, on Ayalon Highway. [Tzipi] Livni to the government: 'You are drunk with power, this is fascism']. Ynet (in Hebrew).
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^Greenberg, Hadas (1 March 2023).
מאות שוטרים מול אלפי מפגינים: שרה נתניהו חולצה מהמספרה בת"א [Hundreds of policemen in front of thousands of protesters: Sara Netanyahu was rescued from the hair stylist shop in Tel Aviv] (in Hebrew).
Kan 11.
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^Kotev, Adam; Rubinstein, Roy; Glickman, Eitan; Hilai, Sion; Glick, Zohar (30 March 2023).
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