A Hebrew opinion piece argues that the 2023 to 2024 Kaplan protests against Israel’s judicial overhaul were not a spontaneous grassroots uprising, but a carefully organized campaign backed by money and influence. It says the protest infrastructure began forming immediately after the election, before the government was even sworn in and before the reform was presented.
The article cites remarks by Yossi Kochik and Orni Petrushka, described as founders of the movement, and says their comments, made at a Stanford University forum and reported in a Channel 14 segment, suggest advance planning. Kochik is quoted as saying, “before the government was formed, we understood that we were in a very big problem,” and later, “when you have money, you can brand the opposition.” The piece says the movement also enlisted Ilan Shiloh.
The author says the protests required millions of shekels to support weekly mass demonstrations, campaigns, public messaging and constant media presence. It argues that money shaped the movement’s strategy, priorities and slogans, including the label “dictatorship,” and that calls were made to stop reserve-duty volunteer service and threaten the economy in order to pressure the government.
Using social movement theory, the article says large protests do not grow spontaneously and depend on resources, organization and political opportunities such as a change of government. It concludes by asking whether Kaplan’s voice was truly the public’s voice or that of wealthy power brokers, and says the deeper question is who really shapes democracy after elections end. The author is identified as a professor of organizational management and behavioral sciences and a member of the National Resilience Professors Forum.
