Anti-government protests

Tens of thousands of demonstrators protest on Ayalon Highway following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, March 26, 2023. (Oren Ziv)

How this protest movement is bringing Netanyahu to his knees

A movement that started out against the government's judicial coup has morphed into a successful uprising. Yet questions still loom about what this moment portends for Israeli politics, and above all for Palestinians.

By Haggai Matar March 27, 2023

A protester stands in front of burning tires on the Ayalon highway, Tel Aviv. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, after he called to pause the government's planned judicial overhaul, March 26, 2023. (Oren Ziv)

Do Israeli protesters really want democracy?

The true test of this wave of protests will come once victory is secured: will the crowds go home, or will they push for radical change?

By Orly Noy March 27, 2023

Israeli protesters clash with police on horseback while blocking Ayalon Highway during an anti-government demonstration, March 16, 2023. (Oren Ziv)

Israelis, welcome to BDS

Though not named as such, BDS tactics have been central to Israel’s anti-government protests. And the hypocrisy is not lost on Palestinians.

By Amjad Iraqi March 19, 2023

Latest

Left-wing activists protest against a settler attack on Huwara, in Haifa, February 27, 2023. (Shir Torem/Flash90)

Do Palestinian citizens want a place in Israel’s anti-gov’t protests?

While fully aware of the danger at hand, Palestinians in Israel are conflicted over how to respond to a movement that longs for the Zionist days of yore.

By Samah Salaime March 13, 2023

MK Simcha Rotman, Head of the Knesset's Constitution Committee, poses for a picture at the Knesset, Jerusalem, January 17, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Welcome to Simcha Rothman’s vengeful coup

Embodying the rage that drives the Israeli right’s judicial assault, the chair of the Knesset’s Law and Justice Committee is poised to bring his once-fringe ideas to fruition. And, he tells +972, he is just getting started.

By Nate Orbach March 9, 2023

Israeli reserve soldiers, veterans and activists protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, against the government's planned reforms, February 10, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A mass wave of Israeli army refusal could be a transformative moment

Civil resistance against the government has put the Israeli military in an unparalleled crisis, presenting an opportunity for those fighting apartheid.

By Shimri Zameret March 5, 2023

Left-wing activists demonstrate in central Tel Aviv following Huwara pogrom, February 27, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

This government’s pyromania may be its downfall

Huwara on fire is exactly what leading Israeli ministers wanted. But with the protest movement taking note, the next phase of their plan is no guarantee.

By Meron Rapoport March 3, 2023

Thousands of Israeli protesters rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government in Tel Aviv, February 11, 2023. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)

The settler-colonial origins of Israel’s constitutional crisis

The government’s assault on the judiciary is driven by the same urge as the state’s founders: to protect their power to privilege Jews over Palestinians.

By Yousef Munayyer February 24, 2023

Israelis protest against Israel's far-right government, Tel Aviv, January 7, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

The radicalization of the Israeli elites

In the struggle against the far-right government's plans for total control, Israel's elites could bring the regime to a breaking point.

By Nimrod Flaschenberg February 14, 2023

Israelis protest against the current Israeli government and its planned judicial reform, Tel Aviv, January 28, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Is Israel’s hasbara bubble about to burst?

For decades, Israel's Western allies have nodded along as it professes to be 'the only democracy in the Middle East.' What happens if they stop?

By Meron Rapoport February 13, 2023

Workers from the high-tech sector protest against the Israeli government's proposed changes to the legal system, in Tel Aviv, January 31, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Israeli high tech’s ‘political awakening’ evades a violent truth

High-tech workers say the new government's plans could harm their sector. But history shows the industry actually thrives off of volatility and violence.

By Sophia Goodfriend February 9, 2023

Israelis protest against the proposed changes to the legal system, at Habima Square, Tel Aviv, January 28, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Why aren’t Palestinian citizens joining the anti-government protests?

Despite calls from political leaders, much of the Arab community in Israel feels the movement is not reflective of their deeper problems with the state.

By Baker Zoubi February 1, 2023

The radical bloc at an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv, January 21, 2023. (Oren Ziv)

‘No democracy with apartheid’: Inside the radical bloc at Israel’s anti-gov’t protests

Activists tell +972 that they want to challenge Israeli protesters to look beyond the far-right coalition and see the conditions that enabled its rise.

By Ben Reiff January 25, 2023