Thousands of protesters marched from Aza Street in Jerusalem to the Knesset and government compound on Wednesday evening.
MK Chili Tropper (National Unity) stated, "We are here together this evening in an important struggle over the character of the State of Israel."
"This is not a struggle between supporters and opponents of the coalition, nor between right and left. There are those who want to frame the struggle along those lines because it serves their interests—because it allows them to divide and tear us apart a little more," he added.
"But the real divide is entirely different. In the overwhelming majority of the contentious issues, the split is between a disconnected coalition and the vast majority of the Israeli public," Tropper concluded.
MK Meirav Cohen (Yesh Atid) said, "If you do not respect the Supreme Court’s ruling—then the law has no meaning anymore, the legislature has no meaning anymore, and civil obedience has no meaning. Don’t you dare take us to that point."
"Don’t worry—we will come back and repeal this dangerous law," she added.
This followed the eighth straight day of protests in the capital following an announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he intends to fire the head of Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency), Ronen Bar.
Thousands of protesters have gathered over the course of the week, focused primarily on the hostages and the perceived return of the judicial reform. On Wednesday morning, demonstrators blocked Highway 1.
“This is a war we cannot lose, the war against political cynicism,” said professor Nissim Otmazgin, Dean of Humanities at Hebrew University, on Wednesday.
“We need Israel to return to a country we want to live in, a democratic country that we and our children can be proud of. We cannot lose,” he added.
Meanwhile, protesters also gathered on Tel Aviv's Begin Road, and called for the release of hostages.
Tel Aviv University
Tension and unrest have escalated throughout the nation, including in Tel Aviv, where hundreds of protesters at the University of Tel Aviv prepare to march to Jerusalem, according to organizers.
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s visit to Haifa resulted in the arrest of one demonstrator according to Maarach Otef Atzurim.