A large crowd of Israelis gathered for a mass protest on Saturday, numbering well over 100,000, to oppose judicial reforms pushed by the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The demonstrations marked the thirty-eighth straight week of street action and continued a sustained movement against moves seen as weakening checks and balances within the Israeli system of governance.
As has been the pattern since the start of the year, Tel Aviv and nearby hubs once again hosted the largest gatherings, with city officials and local media estimating around 100,000 participants. Thousands more joined protests in other cities across the country, underscoring broad national participation in the dispute over judicial reforms and their broader democratic implications.
The demonstrations were staged in the days leading up to a major Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, known as a day of atonement. Organizers stressed a clear message for the holiday crowd: there will be no forgiveness for a government seen as steering toward dictatorship. The protests target a ruling coalition that includes ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties, and they frame the reform agenda as a shift that could tilt power toward the executive branch at the expense of judicial independence.
Participants argued that the proposed changes would give the government greater authority while eroding the protections that safeguard judicial review and civil liberties. Critics warn that such a shift could undermine Israeli democracy and amplify the party’s tendency toward centralized, authoritative governance.
Shikma Bressler, a prominent leader within the protest movement who attended the Tel Aviv gathering, pointed to ongoing negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia about normalizing relations. She described the diplomacy discussion as a potential distraction from the core judicial issue, emphasizing that any deal should not come at the cost of eroding legal safeguards.
Bressler referenced earlier pacts with other Gulf states, noting that Israelis across the political spectrum remain vigilant about how foreign policy moves intersect with domestic legal reform. She declared, during the ongoing 38th week of demonstrations, that the public will not be misled by diplomatic optics that try to obscure the importance of protecting judicial independence and democratic norms.
Recent remarks by the Saudi crown prince at the United Nations, coupled with statements from the United States and Israeli leaders about the status of talks, have fueled speculation about how any potential normalization might influence the current government. Many in the country worry that concessions to the Palestinians could be a bargaining chip in negotiations with Riyadh, complicating a process already charged with political risk for Netanyahu’s coalition.