Court, MKs battle over wartime restrictions on protests vs. prayers

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Political correspondent Sam Sokol joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Following an interim High Court order allowing a larger gathering despite wartime restrictions for Saturday night's antiwar protest in Tel Aviv, Sokol reports on the backlash from the Knesset coalition and religious parties demanding similar treatment for the traditional Passover mass prayers at the Western Wall. Sokol also discusses the passage of the 2026 budget, the government's largest budget to date, due to increased defense spending and billions of shekels in ultra-Orthodox educational expenditures following an unexpected political maneuver during a long night of voting. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Cops violently disperse protesters at Tel Aviv anti-war rally, after court raised attendance cap Flouting wartime restrictions, over 1,000 men gather for address by top Haredi rabbi High Court raises wartime limit on Western Wall, Temple Mount access from 50 to 100 Levin says government should ignore High Court ruling allowing wartime protests AG halts transfer of budget funds for Haredi institutions after contentious vote Opposition MKs voted to allocate NIS 800 million for Haredi schools. How did that happen? Knesset approves 2026 budget, Israel’s largest ever, sending billions to Haredi institutions Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: Israelis attending anti-war protest take shelter in Tel Aviv's Habima parking lot as alert for Iranian missile sounds on April 4, 2026 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.