First publication: 2,846 arrests of protesters since 2023 and only a handful of convictions

Since 2023, 2,846 arrests of protesters in Israel have been documented, but only 94 indictments were filed (3.3%) and only two ended in conviction. The data, from the 'Otef Atzurim' system, were sent in a demand letter from the Zulat Institute to the leaders of six change parties. The gap raises questions about the proportionality of the use of arrests.

Since 2023, 2,846 arrests of protesters have been documented in Israel, but only 94 indictments were filed – about 3.3% of the arrests. Only two of the cases ended in conviction. This emerges from data from the 'Otef Atzurim' system, which were included in a demand letter from the Zulat Institute to the leaders of six change parties. About 1,100 arrests (about 40%) were carried out during the struggle against the judicial overhaul and in the first year of the war; the rest, about 1,700, were spread over the period, including many in the protest for the release of the hostages. The number of arrests dropped from 1,122 in 2023 to 196 since the beginning of 2026. The gap between arrests and indictments raises questions about the proportionality of the use of arrests, and raises concern that the police used arrest also as a punitive measure. Most of the grounds for arrest are 'catch-all offenses' such as breach of order and illegal assembly. Out of 94 indictments, seven ended in acquittal, about 40 in a conditional settlement or dismissal. The CEO of the Zulat Institute, Einat Ovadia, calls on the parties to commit to protecting the freedom of protest and to prevent the use of criminal enforcement for deterrence.