Hundreds of people participated in a demonstration organized by the Movement for Quality Government and the Protest Organizations Forum at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, equality in sharing the national burden, and the protection of the judicial system.
Bereaved family members, public figures, and protest activists spoke at the rally, sharply criticizing the government and the political leadership.
Shir Mathias, whose parents, Shahar and Shlomi, were murdered in their home in Holit on October 7, criticized the government, saying, "I am here to point to a government that dishonors our dead, ignores our suffering, and evades the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.
"Everyone who had their hands on the wheel on October 7 must go home and take responsibility, those in suits and those in uniform alike," she added.
Mathias called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, stressing, "Only a state commission of inquiry, free of political characteristics, neutral, and professional, can uncover the truth. Without the truth, we will not be able to draw conclusions, and without those conclusions, our security and our future will remain stuck on October 6.
"We will not stop until a state commission of inquiry is established!" she said.
Protest leader addresses right-wing voters
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Dr. Yom Tov Samia directly addressed right-wing voters in his speech.
"Likud voters, Shas voters, my brothers in our heritage, this government needs to be corrected, and that correction will come from you. You are the ones who must stop voting for a malicious government that has forgotten what it means to be Jewish and Zionist.
"The only threat is the division and rupture among us, a threat that this government is deliberately cultivating in order to remain in power," he said.
"One thousand days have passed. There is no state commission, not even a political commission of inquiry. Why? Because they know that as time passes, memories will fade and the evidence will disappear. This is an evasion of responsibility."
Attorney Stav Livne Lahav, director of the legal department at the Movement for Quality Government, addressed the legal battle over military conscription.
Referring to a High Court hearing on the law freezing the arrest of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft evaders, she said, "The law passed by this government of horrors literally states, in black and white, that draft evaders cannot be arrested, and that if draft evaders are arrested, they must be released... Of course, there is one major condition: that you are a haredi draft evader.
"This law is unlawful from beginning to end," she said.
"We in the movement will continue to fight for the rule of law, proper governance, and the democratic rights of each and every one of us."
Movement leader calls for Israeli constitution
Sarit Massachi Kobrigo, one of the leaders of "We are the Judaism of the Declaration of Independence," also criticized government policy and called for the principles of equality to be enshrined in a constitution.
"We learned the hard way that a country cannot survive over time when rights and obligations are determined according to the political power of a particular sector," she said.
"The Declaration of Independence must become a binding covenant and the foundation of a civil constitution. A constitution in which the law applies to everyone, obligations are shared by everyone, rights belong to everyone, and no person or government is above the law."