Protest and disruption actions , co-founder of the "Brothers in Arms" Movement, speaks at a demonstration in
Haifa at Horev Square against the
judicial reform, March 25, 2023 The organization's activists operate demonstration centers, some of them permanent, in front of the homes of ministers and key Knesset members including
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,
Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter,
Minister of Justice Yariv Levin,
Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, Member of Knesset and Knesset National Security Committee Chairman Zvika Fogel, and Minister of Immigration and Absorption (formerly
Ministry of Aliyah and Integration)
Ofir Sofer. They also take part in major demonstrations throughout the country, Including reinforcing protest points where demonstrators have experienced violence from the supporters of the judicial reform. • Blocking the entrance to the offices of
Kohelet Policy Forum, an association that has a dominant influence on the advancement of the government's legislative measures, using barbed wire and sandbags, as part of a "day of disruption" on March 9, 2023. The leaders of the organization said that they are "sealing the rift that divisiveness creates in the nation. Everyone has already understood that divisiveness harms the state's economy and the security of the state". Six activists were arrested during the activity, including Ron Scherf, one of the founders of the organization. On the same day, dozens of the organization's activists, including former navy commanders
Ami Ayalon and
David Ben-Besht, blocked the port of Haifa with flares and boats, for about two hours, under the title "There is no freedom of movement in a dictatorship". • The establishment of a symbolic recruitment office in front of the
Bnei Brak municipality in a call for equality in burden (of military service), as part of a "day of disruption" on March 16, 2023. On the same day, the organization's activists hung a 200-meter sign at the
Eliakim junction "The dictatorship is tearing the people apart". • The arrival of a group of activists from the sea, in kayaks and swimming, at Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's house in
Caesarea on March 17, with the aim of conveying to him the message that he must intervene and "stop the coup". On June 11, hundreds of activists protested in front of the daycare center in Caesarea with a display that included a 15-meter-high tree, a ladder, and a huge dismissal letter, under the title "Bibi Get Down from the Tree!" calling for the dismissal of the Minister of Justice Yariv Levin. • Hanging a 600-meter sign on the sides of Highway 1, showing Gallant, Dichter, and Barkat as the famous sculpture in the form of the three monkeys, on March 19. On March 23, the organization's signage campaign went up throughout the country "Your finger will lead to a civil war" targeting the ten Knesset members from the
Likud who did not express a firm position against the legislative measures. plaza in preparation for an event announcing the suspension of volunteering for the reserves organized by the organization • Demonstration by hundreds of activists outside the
Israel Museum at the conference held on March 22. The speeches of government ministers
Yitzhak Goldknopf and
Miri Regev were interrupted and Netanyahu canceled his arrival at the conference. • Demonstration of hundreds of protesters outside the
Religious Zionist Party's cup-raising event in
Petah Tikva, held in the presence of the Chairman of the
Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Simcha Rothman, on March 24 as part of "National Paralysis Day". Levin's car was hit by protesters. Several protesters were arrested. • A demonstration at the entrance of the
Kiryat Arba settlement, where the Minister of National Security
Itamar Ben-Gvir lives, and a call for him to resign from his position, under the slogan "It's simply too much for you", on March 26. According to them, "it is not given to someone who was not drafted into the IDF because of his extreme positions and violent past to wreak havoc in the State of Israel and endanger the security of the state". On April 14, two huge signs were hung on the roads of the country, referring to the minister and criticizing him for his conduct in the face of the wave of terrorism. Another demonstration was held on May 4 in front of Ben-Gvir's house in Kiryat Arba. A display was set up dealing with the murders in Arab community and the murder of women and a sign was hung that read "3 months, 78 murdered - one guilty!" On the day of the budget approval in the Knesset, May 23, activists hung signs against the minister on the way to the Knesset: "Ben-Gvir zero abilities in the budget", "Ben-Gvir zero abilities in front of
Smotrich", "Ben-Gvir zero concern for the police". • A demonstration during the speech of the Chairman of the Constitution Committee
Simcha Rothman, as part of the conference of the
Jewish Federations of North America, which was held at the exhibition grounds in
Tel-Aviv on April 24. • On the 75th Independence Day of the State of Israel on April 26, the activists of the organization hung a sign with the inscription "Democracy" on a cliff in
Masada and the Israeli flag and the Declaration of Independence in
Nahal Qumran. The activists said that "Masada will not fall a second time and Israeli democracy will never fall. Long live the State of Israel". In addition, activists from the navy held a flotilla along the coast of Tel Aviv in about 150 yachts and a small plane carried the sign "Free in our country". The inscription "Israel democratic since 1948" was written on the pumping station building at
Sha'ar HaGai. Also, Israeli flags were hung near the houses of the Knesset members of
United Torah Judaism in Bnei Brak. • A demonstration of support with the participation of hundreds of the organization's activists outside the home of former Supreme Court judge
Aharon Barak, in front of about 50 demonstrators supporting the legislative measures, on April 30. • As part of the National Equality Day, on May 4, demonstrations were held against the non-
conscription of yeshiva members near the home of Rabbi
Gershon Edelstein and a symbolic "recruitment office" was opened in front of the
Ponevezh Yeshiva, calling for the ultra-Orthodox to sign a new contract with the state and take part in the burden of service. For example, a morning prayer was held in collaboration with the "Religious, Zionist, Democrat" protest organization in front of the home of Minister
Bezalel Smotrich in
Kedumim with the chant "True religious Zionism carries the burden, does not perpetuate the state". In addition, there was a support demonstration of hundreds of people in front of the house of retired Chief Justice Aharon Barak, in front of a counter-demonstration of hundreds of supporters of the legislation. • A demonstration of dozens of activists in front of the house of Minister
Yitzhak Goldknopf in
Jerusalem on May 16. The demonstrators set up a display of
Louis Vuitton bags and threw bills on the floor, protesting the transfer of coalition funds to the ultra-Orthodox and the property tax fund. On May 17, a demonstration was held in Bnei Brak, near the home of the Chairman of the Finance Committee, MK
Moshe Gafni, under the title "The Siege of Bnei Brak - A Rage March Against a Miserer of Public Money", against the property tax bill and the expected distribution of the budget to the ultra-Orthodox public. • On
Jerusalem Day, which fell on May 18, the organization's activists hung signs on the walls of the Old City that read "Democratic and Liberal Jerusalem". • A demonstration of hundreds of activists outside Netanyahu's house on May 25 on the claim that he weakens and isolates Israel from the world in general and the United States in particular, and the Iranian enemy that recognizes its weakness rushes to an atomic bomb without hindrance. • With the return of ministers and Knesset members from New York on June 6, "Brothers in Arms" activists placed a huge sign visible from the air with the inscription - "We the People - SOS Democracy" - in order to remind the ministers" in what state is the country they are returning to". On the same day, activists staged a protest using a vessel, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the
Achziv Sea Reserve, with the participation of the Minister of the Environment
Idit Silman. • Activists of the organization disrupted Knesset member
Nissim Vaturi's speech at the cultural Friday event at the Mash'an sheltered housing in
Ramat Ef'al on June 23 and accused him of "sending soldiers to the gallows" • Blocking access to the street in the city of
Modi'in where Justice Minister Yariv Levin lives, • As part of a day of protest held on July 3, activists blocked the entrance to
Port of Haifa. They brought with them a container full of Polish salami sausages and said that these "represent the dictatorial model that Prime Minister Yariv Levin is trying to import from Poland". • On July 6, the "Night of the Conspirators" took place, as part of which thousands of activists went out to demonstrate in front of the houses of the coalition members. • On July 9, hundreds of activists held a "white night" in front of the Defense Minister's house, during which former senior officials in the defense establishment gave speeches and called on Gallant not to let the legislation continue. • A huge sign "There is no people's army in a dictatorship" was hung in
Kfar Daniel in order to remind the decision-makers of what is at stake if the legislation continues. • On a protest day on July 18, dozens of activists chained themselves to the Kariya Gate on Kaplan Street, Tel Aviv, in order to create awareness of the danger in which the State of Israel is in. Also, hundreds of protesters blocked all entrances to the stock exchange in
Ramat Gan. The demonstrators hung huge signs with the inscription "Saving the economy" and another sign on the scoreboard with the data on the damage to pensions since the judicial reform legislation began.
Advocacy, negotiation and rapprochement actions Throughout the period of the protest, the founders of the organization and its key activists have been speaking at demonstrations throughout the country, including from the main stage of the protest on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv. They are often interviewed by the media in Israel and attract the interest of the foreign media as well. The organization's activists have set up speakers' corners outside the homes of ministers and members of Knesset and have held talks with rabbis from
Religious Zionism movement aimed at generating dialogue and bringing home the message that the Israeli army as "the army of the people" is falling apart due to the government's legislative measures. A tent has also been set up near the recruitment office at the Tel Hashomer army base to conduct dialogues with the ultra-Orthodox youth who come there to receive their exemptions from military service. The tent has been operating in shifts since March 20, 2024. The members of the organization have also produced a series of informational videos ("The Lighthouse") featuring some of the leaders of Israeli society. Other activities of the organization include: • A joint prayer for the unity of the nation near the Rose Garden in Jerusalem, on March 22, in collaboration with other organizations. • Distribution of hundreds of bouquets of flowers during Passover at various police stations throughout the country in gratitude for the hard work of the police. • A campaign launched on April 22, 2024 to pin notices on hundreds of bulletin boards calling on the ultra-Orthodox to share the burden of military or civilian service under the slogan "without conscription, there is no reconciliation". On April 30, a digital and outdoor sign campaign repeated the call to the Israeli government to fairly distribute the burden of service. In
Safed, signs were hung to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the breaking of the siege of Safed by the 3rd Battalion of the
Palmach on May 5. • A march in Jerusalem on May 16 in conjunction with the "March of Flags" in Jerusalem with the aim of "appropriating the moderate right-wing community and the uncommitted elements of religious Zionism." • Meetings with lawyers on May 22 to explain the organization's position ahead of the elections to the Bar Association. • Participation in the pride parade in Jerusalem. • Participation of dozens of activists in the salute ceremony for the liberators of the
Western Wall that took place on June 5 outside the Western Wall Plaza in
Jerusalem (after the Western Wall Heritage Foundation refused permission to hold it in the square).
Cessation of volunteering for the reserves On March 21, the leaders of the organization announced the beginning of a petition to be signed by reserve soldiers who pledged to stop volunteering for reserve military duty if the planned legislative measures for judicial reform were passed. In the days that followed, the number of signatories began to grow. The organization's activists continued to warn that there would be irreversible harm to the army if the legislation was not stopped.[95] On July 19, members of the organization gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum Square and declared a halt to volunteering for the reserves to preserve the IDF's moral values. In the following days, the organization's activists demanded that Chief of Staff, Lieut.-General
Herzi Halevi, "Knock on the table and tell the government in a loud and clear voice: 'You are dissolving the people's army! Your legislation is dangerous for the security of the country!' On July 22, at the end of a mass protest march to Jerusalem, organization activists distributed copies of the petition calling on reserve soldiers to stop volunteering for military duty. The petition was worded as a personal letter in which signatories wrote: "I am not ready to serve a government that does not respect the values of Israel as a democratic state and acts contrary to the principles and spirit of the IDF. This statement is written with great pain, out of my moral and conscientious duty. I will continue to fight in legitimate civil ways to keep Israel democratic, free, and equal. A people's army only exists in a democracy". That evening, the organization held a press conference with representatives of dozens of units and announced that 10,000 people would stop volunteering for the reserves if the legislation moved forward.
Activity during 2023 Israel–Gaza war On the morning of October 7, 2023, following the surprise
rocket attack, invasion, and massacre by
Hamas in the south of Israel, the leaders of the organization announced an immediate halt to all protest activities. They issued a call to reserve soldiers to immediately step up in defense of the country. On the same day, the infrastructure previously used by Brothers and Sisters in Arms for its protest activities was converted into assisting the security forces and providing aid to survivors of the massacre. The organization established dedicated logistic centers in
Tel Aviv and
Beit Kama, where many aid initiatives were coordinated with the help of tens of thousands of volunteers across the country. Among the initiatives was the evacuation of some 2,500 families from the conflict zones to safe areas while the IDF forces were engaged in combat. Efforts were made to find housing solutions for displaced families and to provide support to security forces trying to locate missing individuals, using advanced technological resources for this purpose. A support network was established to assist the families of killed, missing, or kidnapped individuals. Further, a transportation system was created to facilitate the movement of reserve soldiers and their families. Another initiative,
First Line Med, was established to collect donations and purchase medical supplies and equipment for army units on the front lines as well as for clinics and security personnel on the home front. The organization also focused on dispensing mental health care treatment for those in need. Other initiatives have included providing hot meals for the families of the wounded and rescue animals left behind in the conflict zones. He later tweeted "I had a chance to visit a donation center in Tel Aviv for the victims of Hamas’ terrorist attack. We are inspired by the solidarity of the Israeli people. America will always be by Israel's side". On October 20, 2023, Brothers and Sisters in Arms volunteers began providing assistance to 24 farms in 11 localities near the border with Gaza, which were suffering from a lack of working hands. In the following days this project grew dramatically, connecting farmers in need with a network of tens of thousands of volunteers. == Criticism ==