TEL AVIV — After two years of near silence on the matter, Israelis have returned to the streets to protest the government’s renewed push for a judicial overhaul plan aimed at weakening the courts.

Thousands gathered on Nov. 8 at the Kaplan-Begin junction in Tel Aviv, signaling the return of the 2023 weekly mass rallies against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who are pressing for bills that would erode the powers of the attorney general. One week later, demonstrators again filled central Tel Aviv to protest the government’s decision to appoint a parliamentary committee to probe the events of Oct. 7, 2023, instead of a broader state inquiry commission.

Protest organizers vowed to continue demonstrating every Saturday night, as thousands of Israelis had done throughout 2023 until the Hamas assault. Shikma Bressler, leader of the Kaplan Force, told Al-Monitor that Israeli society’s identity is at stake. "We are witnessing a struggle over what Israel would look like in future generations. Most Israelis want to live in an enlightened and advanced country that is open to the world. They do not want to live in a religious, fanatic state," Bressler said.

The 2023 protests