Israel’s protest movement caught between anger and solidarity  

It is unclear whether a new leadership can emerge quickly enough to unite under a joint platform to oust Netanyahu, and bring a vision of hope for a better future.

For nearly 40 consecutive weeks of demonstrations, beginning in January 2023 when the current government took office, hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested weekly against the judicial overhaul. But they came to an abrupt end on October 7. The civil society leaders who headed the demonstrations mobilised their skills to run the logistical and social service operations required after October 7 that the government should have been running, but did not.

But as the war in Gaza continues without an end in sight, as the casualties mount, and as the 136 hostages remain in Gaza, Israelis have begun to take back the streets. While their numbers are still smaller than before October 7, they are growing. And the intensity of the demonstrations, along with the aggressive police response, are growing, too.

Last Saturday, tens of thousands of protestors demonstrated throughout the country, once again attempting to block major intersections. Some 20 people were arrested, and one journalist was lightly injured when the police fired a water cannon at her. The arrested, most of whom were released that night without charges, complained about police brutality in both the arrests and the detainments.

The week before, in Jerusalem, hundreds of family members of the hostages, who had marched for days from the site of the Nova party massacre to protest the lack of progress to bring the hostages home, were joined thousands near the prime minister’s residence. Quiet and subdued, the demonstration began with a minute of silence in memory of those murdered on October 7 and a prayer for the safety of the hostages and Israeli soldiers.