High Court orders police to allow hundreds more anti-war protesters to attend tonight’s rallies

Anti-war protesters gather for a demonstration at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, April 4, 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Anti-war protesters gather for a demonstration at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, April 4, 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The High Court of Justice hands down an interim order obliging police to allow protests in four separate locations tonight, shooting down the army’s proposed framework to allow smaller demonstrations submitted earlier today.

The decision, issued as people gather to protest the ongoing Iran war, effectively forbids police from breaking up a protest of less than 600 people at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, and less than 150 people in Jerusalem, Haifa and Kfar Saba.

The order applies solely to tonight’s rallies.

In the decision, judges accuse police of selectively enforcing the army’s wartime restrictions, which cap outdoor public gatherings at 50 people.

“Police enforcement of Home Front Command guidelines is carried out against protest demonstrations, but not towards other places and events. This situation is difficult to reconcile,” judges write.

Earlier today, the IDF Home Front Command submitted a framework to the court saying it intends to allow small demonstrations to take place. This included protests of up to 150 people at Habima and 50 people at other locations.

However, the response came hours after the 11 a.m. deadline set yesterday by the court, leaving little time for deliberation and prompting judges to issue this evening’s interim order.

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