STORY: Protesters in Jerusalem lit memory candles and sang the Israeli national anthem in front of the Israeli president's residence.

Demonstrator Anat Shalem told Reuters she believed the country's safety and security was linked to the protection of its democracy. "We are here to protect the Israeli democracy in order to protect both the Palestinian and Israeli citizens so there will be less terror attacks like this, because if we won't have the Supreme Court then we won't have a democracy then we think these terror attacks will just be more and more and things will get worse, not better," Shalem said.

In Tel Aviv, tens of thousands rallied at a main junction, then marched through the city streets, waving flags and chanting slogans.

The reform plans, which the government says are needed to curb overreach by activist judges, have drawn fierce opposition from groups including lawyers and prompted large weekly demonstrations across Tel Aviv and other cities, with more than 100,000 protesters attending last week's rally.

But turnout was expected to be lower this Saturday, following a weekend of violence during which a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven Israelis on the outskirts of Jerusalem and another shooting attack in the city on Saturday wounded two people.

Earlier protesters in Tel Aviv also lit candles and paused for a moment of silence in memory of those killed in the synagogue attack in Neve Yaakov settlement.