In late July, Offir Gutelzon crossed the Mary Avenue pedestrian bridge in Cupertino as he marched with hundreds of fellow protesters. Waving Israeli flags, they denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed overhaul of Israel’s judiciary, while motorists below on I-280 honked horns in support.

Two weeks later, graffiti had been crudely spray-painted on the structure: “No Israel.” There were three more “No Israel” tags on nearby fencing.

The Palo Alto tech entrepreneur said the graffiti, discovered the morning of Aug. 7, was the first time he had encountered anti-Israel sentiment in the seven months he has been organizing protests over Netanyahu’s plan, which Gutelzon believes will degrade Israel’s democracy.

הפגנה של ישראלים בסן פרנסיסקו. @UnxeptableD pic.twitter.com/92nqJZpvNX

— נריה קראוס Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) July 24, 2023

“It was clear that it was very childish,” said Gutelzon, who formed the group UnXeptable that has spearheaded protests around the Bay Area. “It immediately struck me as something very anti-Israel. We immediately reported it to the police,” he said.

Gutelzon was impressed with the support of the responding officer from the Cupertino Police Department. The officer told him, “You have [First Amendment] rights. We are here to protect you. And don’t be afraid to come back to the bridge.”

Gutelzon promised that he and his fellow protesters would indeed be back.

Living in California since 2011, Gutelzon is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. He describes his most recent startup, Keepy, as a “multi-generational mobile platform for parents to organize and save kids’ artwork, schoolwork and mementos.” He has put his professional career on hold to focus on UnXeptable, which has chapters across the country and around the world.

Gutelzon has often served as the group’s spokesperson. In January, he wrote an op-ed in J., excoriating the Netanyahu-backed legislation that he said would “shake the very foundation” of Israel’s democracy.

“The new government seeks absolute control over all aspects of the judiciary and legal advisory functions, thereby concentrating power in the hands of the executive branch,” he wrote. Gutelzon also stressed that international investment in what’s been called the “startup nation” could nosedive.

Despite the protests in Israel and worldwide, the Knesset passed the first piece of Netanyahu’s plan on July 24, the day after the Cupertino march.

Until now, most of the protests organized by UnXeptable have been marches and rallies in San Francisco and the South Bay. Gutzelzon also held an event Aug. 15 featuring two Israel Defense Forces reservists, who spoke about the overhaul and democracy.

“We are creating more opportunities for people to engage,” he said.