For the fourth straight Saturday, anti-government protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to protest the new coalition’s far-reaching plans to restructure the judiciary. However, the atmosphere was more subdued than in previous weeks following the deaths of seven people in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem on Friday and another attack in the capital on Saturday.
The protests took place on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street and Habima Square, while simultaneous demonstrations also took place in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and other smaller cities.
Tens of thousands attended the rallies, although exact estimates varied. Haaretz daily reported that over 60,000 attended demonstrations across the country, far fewer than the more than 100,000 who gathered last week.
Protesters gather weekly after Justice Minister Yariv Levin unveiled a controversial judicial overhaul plan that would drastically reduce the Supreme Court’s power to block laws and government decisions deemed discriminatory and/or undemocratic and the government’s control over to give the selection of judges and eliminate the Ministry’s legal advisers appointed by the Attorney General.
Saturday’s demonstration began with a minute’s silence after the deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem’s Neve Ya’akov neighborhood that killed seven and wounded at least three others. Two people were injured in a separate exchange of gunfire near Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday.
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Organizers said they had considered whether it was appropriate to hold the protests after the terrorist attacks, but said they went ahead because the coalition made it clear that the Knesset’s Constitutional, Legal and Judiciary Committee would continue its discussions on the legislation to review the judiciary in the coming week, with the aim of bringing it into law quickly.
Unlike last week, the steady pounding of drumbeats and chanting from a megaphone were the only music on Kaplan Street after protest organizers removed more of the carnival-like elements following the attacks.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who spoke out at the Tel Aviv protests last week, chose to attend the rally in Jerusalem, where he lit a candle to commemorate the seven victims.
“I came here to Jerusalem to announce to everyone that we are one people. We stand up against terror as one people,” Lapid said in a statement.
“The government must decide whether to fight terrorism or fight Israeli democracy, whether to unite us or dissolve us from within,” he added.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid lights a memorial candle during an anti-government protest in Jerusalem on January 28, 2023. (Elad Gutman)
Lapid also offered his condolences to the families of the victims and praised the security forces “that are currently operating at the scene.”
Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli also opened the demonstration on Kaplan Street by lighting a commemorative candle.
Former Defense Secretary Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, did not attend a rally as in previous weeks, but instead visited the site of Friday’s terrorist attack in Neve Ya’akov, where he also lit a memorial candle.
“The whole nation must unite against terror,” Gantz tweeted.
Another former defense minister, Moshe Ya’alon, spoke before the rally in Tel Aviv and claimed the proposed judicial changes would turn the country into a “dictatorship” and posed an “existential threat to Israel’s security.”
Moshe Ya’alon speaks at a protest against proposed changes to the legal system in Tel Aviv on January 28, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Former police chief Roni Alsheich was also scheduled to speak at the event but canceled his speech after the weekend’s terrorist attacks.
“Israel’s strength lies in its power, but no less in its democratic strength and the good character of its leaders,” Labor MP Gilad Kariv tweeted from the Tel Aviv rally.
“In a sea of Israeli flags, I lit a candle tonight in memory of the victims of the horrific attacks in Jerusalem. As long as the gallop into the abyss of undemocratic legislation continues, we will continue to take to the streets… if only to stand together in silence. We will not give up on our future,” he added.
In Jerusalem, too, the rally in front of the President’s residence was subdued.
“We’re trying to find a way to honor them and show them respect,” said one protest organizer. “We are represented here from all sides of the political spectrum.”
After chanting Hatikva, the crowd began to disperse and organizers began moving the protesters towards Gaza Road, where Netanyahu is currently living in an apartment while the nearby official Prime Minister’s residence is being repaired.
Anti-government protesters chanted, “We will not agree to a nation with no legal protections” as they marched through the area.
Also on Saturday, hundreds gathered in New York City to denounce the proposed judicial review.
The crowd in Washington Square Park carried Israeli flags and signs reading “Democracy Now and For All,” “Israeli Democracy, Not Democracy,” and “Fascism Is Not Okay.”
Addressing the crowd in Hebrew and English, the speakers led chants such as, “From the river to the sea all men must be free.”
“We are here because we fear for democracy in Israel,” a speaker told the crowd. “We need the Supreme Court to be independent.”
“Here in New York, there are many Israelis and Jewish Americans who are in solidarity with the protests in Israel, who are concerned about the situation in Israel, the legal reform that Netanyahu and his allies are seeking,” Omer Lubaton Granot said.
“We worry about democracy and try to do our part.”
In addition to the New York demonstration, overseas rallies were planned in Boston, Chicago, Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver.
Carrie Keller-Lynn, Naomi Lanzkron, Jessica Steinberg, and Luke Tress contributed to this report.