Protests Against Netanhayu’s Judicial Overhaul Rocked Israel Before Oct. 7 Attacks

By Jordyn Weisleder ‘25 
    In the past couple of months, thousands of Israeli activist groups have been protesting throughout Israel in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda to overhaul the Judiciary system and lessen the power of the Supreme Court. 

Protesters are determined to protect Israel’s Judiciary, as it plays a significant role in evaluating executive power. In Israel, the Prime Minister and his majority group work together, leaving the Judiciary as the primary check on governmental power. 
Unlike the United States, Israel lacks local governance and a formal constitution. This lack makes the power of government more centralized in parliament. The basic laws can be changed at any time when voted by the majority, which allows the Israeli parliament to weaken Judiciary power. 
In the past, the Israeli Judiciary played a prominent role in protecting the rights of minorities such as Palestinian citizens and noncitizens from around the globe. Many say that weakening the Judiciary will cause important issues in the country to be overlooked due to the change in power. 
On February 25th, 2023, Netanyahu posted on X (formerly Twitter) before the demonstrations and protests, “I call on the responsible voices in the opposition - not to cooperate with the lawlessness and immediately enter into negotiations.” 
When Netanyahu introduced his plan to Israelis, larger cities like Tel Aviv began to protest. Israeli business leaders were taken back, and major military reservist units threatened to stop reporting for duty in times of crisis if this law were to pass. 
In March 2023, Netanyahu paused the overhaul and talked with opposition lawmakers and leaders. Soon after, in June, Netanyahu stated that the overhaul would move forward. This led to intensifying and skyrocketing protests all over the country.
Worldwide, Jews took to social media, intending to show their response to Netanyahu’s decisions by posting pictures of protests weekly. In March, before Netanyahu paused the overhaul, Adi Kotlicki, a cousin of junior Jordyn Weisleder and resident in Herzliya, captioned a post with her family: “Smiles full of hope. Fighting for a democratic Israel.”
Freshman Violet Berman ‘27 shared similar hopes “for a quick and safe end to the war.” For now, the media and IDF do not have any suspicions as to when the fighting will end.