On Thursday evening, tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in two simultaneous mass rallies that laid bare the country’s growing political and ideological divide.
In Jerusalem, thousands gathered outside the Supreme Court in support of the coalition, waving Israeli flags and chanting slogans like “Gali won’t decide,” in reference to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. Protesters accused the judiciary of sabotaging elected officials and demanded the attorney general’s removal.
The rally was attended by senior government ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi—all of whom delivered forceful speeches attacking the legal establishment.
Smotrich accused “unelected officials” of hijacking democracy: “The government has the right—no, the obligation—to appoint officials like the Shin Bet head and civil service commissioner. We won’t let anyone take democracy away from us.” He warned against any move to remove Netanyahu from office, calling it a red line.
Ben-Gvir echoed that sentiment, saying, “They allowed a military chief to be appointed during elections but not a Shin Bet chief? Enough! Gali, go home.” He urged Netanyahu to ignore the attorney general’s “illegitimate” opinions and pledged to push for Hamas’s defeat through “victory, settlement and voluntary emigration.”
Justice Minister Levin described the judiciary as a “small group of judges” who have seized control of Israeli democracy. “We’ll fulfill the people’s will. There will be full judicial reform,” he vowed. The crowd responded with chants of “The people demand judicial reform.”
Communications Minister Karhi and Education Minister Yoav Kisch joined in, accusing the Supreme Court and Baharav-Miara of dismantling democracy and claiming that “the people” were under attack by “a minority judicial elite.”
The Jerusalem rally was organized by right-wing groups, with participation from bereaved families and hostages’ relatives. Tzvika Mor, whose son Eitan is being held in Gaza; and Itzik Bonzel, whose son Amit was killed in combat, spoke of betrayal and abandonment. “We didn’t vote for the opposition—we voted for a right-wing path,” Bonzel said.
Netanyahu had personally urged his supporters to attend, declaring in a video: “We’ll decide who heads the Shin Bet and who serves as civil service commissioner. The people will decide, not unelected bureaucrats.”
In Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, warning of a dangerous drift toward authoritarianism and extremism. Meanwhile, outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, supporters of the government rallied against what they called judicial overreach and elite obstruction of democratic will.
The Tel Aviv protest was held under the banner “Ending the madness—yes to a Jewish and democratic state, no to racist Kahanism.” Speakers accused the government of undermining Israel’s democratic foundations and attempting to silence dissent through incitement and fear.
“This ‘Hamas is an asset’ government is trampling the law and trying to oust the attorney general illegally,” said protest leader Shikma Bressler. “They’re defying court rulings and attacking the judiciary head-on.” She urged citizens not to back down: “We—the overwhelming majority—stand with you.”
Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Chen Arieli warned that democratic erosion is becoming “a flood,” saying, “We cannot stay silent while incitement becomes government policy. Without democracy, there is no pride.”
Prof. Yaniv Roznai of Reichman University called the government’s tactics a “populist playbook,” accusing it of “dismantling oversight, delegitimizing the opposition and undermining elections.” Only one in five Israelis supports the government, he said, warning of its “deep legitimacy crisis.”
Protest leader Moshe Radman described the Jerusalem rally as “a show of support for Kahanism, racism and anarchy,” while vowing to defeat Netanyahu’s coalition at the ballot box. “We understand this revolution in real time. It won’t be easy and it won’t be quick—but we’ll win,” he said. “The fight for Israel’s soul will be decided in the streets, schools and city councils.”
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Organizers said their demonstration was a direct response to the pro-government rally in Jerusalem, which they described as a “Kahanist dictatorship’s” bid to tighten its grip on power under cover of war.