‘We Are Fighting for Our Democracy’: Mass Protest Held in Jerusalem Against Judicial Reform

Religious, secular, left- and right-wing protesters flock to Israeli parliament as committee votes to advance controversial reform

Tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to Jerusalem on Monday and hundreds of companies went on strike against the government’s controversial proposed judicial reform, which aims to give lawmakers much greater control over the Supreme Court.

Protest organizers estimated that up to 100,000 demonstrators took part in the event, which saw major roads across Jerusalem blocked off and the city’s light rail train grind to a halt. It is the second such mass protest in as many days; rallies held on Saturday evening saw tens of thousands take to the street in cities across Israel.

Protesters gather in Jerusalem on Feb. 13, 2023 against the Israeli government’s judicial reform proposals. (Maya Margit/The Media Line)

Monday’s protest took place near the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, amid great fanfare, chanting and horns blaring. It came as the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee met and voted to advance the first part of the legislation that would overhaul Israel’s legal and judicial systems.

Israeli groups from all political stripes gathered to show their opposition to the move, including women’s rights organizations, high school and university students, as well as reservists and members of the tech sector.

“We are fighting for our democracy,” Lior, chair of the nonprofit LGBT organization Hoshen, told The Media Line. “Democracy is under attack in Israel and we, as the LGBT community, received all of our rights through the courts. If the [government] strikes down the courts, we’re going to have a big problem so we’re here to fight for our lives basically.”

Protesters gather in Jerusalem on Feb. 13, 2023 against the Israeli government’s judicial reform proposals. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)

Ella Israeli, a member of the Hashomer Hatzair secular Jewish youth movement, told The Media Line that their main goal was to educate people about the new legislation and explain why it is dangerous.

“We have to say what we believe in and fight for it because it’s our country and we won’t let it be a country that people can’t live in,” Israeli said. “I think that a strike is a very strong tool for people to speak their minds.”

Jonathan Sierra, an independent consultant in food safety, came as part of the recently formed “Protectors of Our Shared Home” protest group, which brings together secular, religious, left- and right-wing Israelis opposed to the judicial reform.

“There is a common ground between religious and secular people that are concerned about the future of democracy in this country,” Sierra told The Media Line.

Irit, a tech worker, said that she decided to strike and join the protests because she believes that the proposed reforms would forever change the nature of the State of Israel and undermine people’s freedoms.

“Freedom is the basis for everything that is new and innovative,” she told The Media Line. “The fact that the government is going to control the [judiciary] is a problem because there is not going to be freedom for people.”

Irit was notably holding a placard showcasing religious Zionist support for the protests.

“Usually in Israel, people think that all the religious people don’t support democracy and [that we] agree with what is going on in the Knesset now,” she explained. “But we’re a group of hundreds of [religious] people saying that we are proud of democracy. We don’t want religion to be the law here in Israel.”

Protesters gather in Jerusalem on Feb. 13, 2023 against the Israeli government’s judicial reform proposals. (Dario Sanchez/The Media Line)

During the protest, several prominent members of the Israeli opposition gave speeches, among them Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid party; National Unity party leader Benny Gantz; and Labor party leader Merav Michaeli.

“We are Jews, we are patriots and we are also the people of Israel,” Lapid said. “If they continue with this madness, they can’t talk to us about unity. There’s no such thing as unity when only one side makes the laws.”