Israel Police violently dispersed a group of protesters demonstrating in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to resume the war in Gaza on Tuesday night.
The protesters clashed with security forces and plan to continue demonstrations nationwide, showing their rejection of the new "Strength and Sword" operation in Gaza.
In videos posted to social media, police can be seen forcibly dragging away both male and female protesters who were sitting on the ground, as well as violently kicking, hitting, and stomping on them. In a highly-circulated video, police officers can be seen punching a man in the groin area.
The man, Max Kresch, until recently a reservist in the IDF, told Ynet. "They used extreme violence to silence the protesters. There used to be respect for those in uniform and there used to be standards. Today I was punched in the balls by a police officer with a face covering who took off his name tag. What kind of man beats another man like that? Police officers brutally beat and kicked non-violent protesters, and those who were not violent themselves enabled and encouraged it. There is no respect and no standards."
הפגנו הערב כ200 איש.ה נגד הטבח בעזה, המשך רצח העם והקרבת החטופים על מזבח שלטון נתניהו. צפו במיליציות של המשטר משתוללות נטולות רסן, בלילה החשוך הזה בירושלים. בעיטות לראש, לבטן, ריסוק תופים, אלימות מטורפת כלפי מפגינות ומפגינים.ח ו ב ה ל ה ת נ ג ד pic.twitter.com/h8SuThWhdn
— Free Jerusalem (@FreeJerusalem1) March 18, 2025
Israel Police told The Jerusalem Post that while the initial protests had been permitted, participants attempted to start a march, which had not been coordinated in advance, causing police to physically confront them.
“After participants were told that this was an illegal demonstration due to their actions, and an order to disperse was given, the police acted within their authority to push the rioters off the road and onto the sidewalk,” the police added.
Members of Standing Together and other organizations got together to express their opposition to the Israeli government's decision to strike Gaza on Monday night in an effort to pressure Hamas and release the hostages that are still in Gaza.
המשטרה מפזרת בכוח רב הפגנה קטנה נגד המשך המלחמה במרכז ירושלים. צילום: @FreeJerusalem1 pic.twitter.com/R2kanYeNl7
— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) March 18, 2025
Some of the demonstrators carried various signs showing discomfort, called the current situation in Gaza a "genocide," threw themselves to the floor, and tied themselves to trees.
The demonstrators call this a war "of choice" and claim its goal is to preserve Netanyahu's power: "We refuse to participate in a war that will sentence the hostages in Gaza to death."
The government 'lacks legitimacy'
The protesters added that the country’s far-right sector is "addicted to violence" and that they refuse to send their children "to be killed in Gaza."
A statement published by Standing Together declared that the current Israeli government does not have a majority or any legitimacy.
In addition, they consider that the government coalition is a "minority government" that doesn't represent Israeli society and that citizens want to see it replaced "through elections."
"There was a ceasefire agreement that released the hostages and stopped the war. The government chose to destroy it, and it is prepared to destroy our future," the demonstrators claimed, emphasizing that they refuse to fight in Gaza "for Netanyahu."
Democrats MK Gilad Kariv demanded on Wednesday an "an urgent discussion in the National Security Committee about the severe violence of the Jerusalem District police against protesters."