Anti-war demonstrations are taking place on Saturday in dozens of locations across the country, some of which have been violently dispersed by police, with 22 arrested.
For the first time since the outbreak of the war with Iran and Lebanon, anti-judicial overhaul demonstrations gathered alongside anti-war protesters with the support of the "Peace Partnership" coalition of dozens of anti-occupation and civil society groups.
At the main protest in Habima Square in Tel Aviv, police began forcefully dispersing demonstrators, claiming that they were violating Home Front Command guidelines. About a thousand people had gathered at the scene.
Deputy commander of the central Tel Aviv police station, Chief Superintendent Avi Offer, called on his police officers to "start making arrests." In response, protesters chanted: "The police are criminals."
Police threw one of the demonstrators to the ground and confiscated signs.
About a hundred protesters stood on the periphery of the square and held pictures of children who have been killed since the war began in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Protesters chanted, "In Tehran and the Kiryat Shmona, girls want to live. In Gaza, in Eshkol, children want to grow up," as well as, "We don't want more wars, the peoples want to live," and "No to a Kahanist government. No to a government of fascists."
Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan said, "Tonight in Habima Square and Haifa, we are once again witnessing the militias of Ben-Gvir unleashing severe violence against law-abiding citizens, to the point of arresting a 70-year-old woman."
"This is the same government that stands idly by and doesn't lift a finger against the rampant Jewish terror in the territories, but acts like the Basij against its own citizens. They promised to defeat Iran, but step by step they are turning us into Iran itself. This government must be replaced," Golan said.
MK Ofer Cassif of the Jewish-Arab Hadash-Ta'al party was assaulted by police during dispersal. In a statement, he said, "I participated tonight in a peaceful and safe demonstration in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu and Trump's voluntary war, but the minister's militia decided to disperse the demonstration violently, because demonstrating is forbidden!"
"Terrorism in the occupied territories against Palestinians, against leftists and peace activists, and Arabs within Israel is freely permitted, demonstrating against war and fascism is forbidden. This is what a coup d'état looks like!" he said. "I call on all citizens to take to the streets, because the good of all peoples is what is important, not the interests of the warlords."
Demonstrations titled "Say no to the eternal war of the Kahanist government, yes to just peace and security for the peoples of the region," have been held throughout the day in about twenty locations across the country, including Jerusalem and Haifa, where police officers confiscated signs and passersby threw eggs at demonstrators.
Protesters chanted, "People are returning in coffins while he builds himself a palace" and "Netanyahu is a terrorist." Banners read, "Enough: Put an end to the eternal war," "Military successes are not a cover for political incompetence," and "Hope will prevail."
In northern Israel, residents gathered at Guma Junction to protest the war and harm to communities near Israel's border with Lebanon.
"We are being bombed with zero warning and the coalition is busy taking more power for itself," the organizers said.
Bar Yanov, a resident of She'ar Yashuv, said: "The north is once again being abandoned and the leadership is only busy transferring money to the ultra-Orthodox and preserving the coalition."
Northern Israel – especially communities along the Lebanese border – has come under sustained missile and rocket attacks in recent weeks from Iran and Hezbollah, resulting in multiple fatalities, numerous injuries, and significant damage to homes and infrastructure.
Anti-war demonstrations have grown in recent weeks; about 200 people gathered at Habima Square in Tel Aviv last week, compared to an estimated 1000 on Saturday. In Jerusalem, an estimated 300 protesters have gathered, at the largest demonstration in recent weeks.
The "Peace Partnership" coalition said, "Tonight marks a step up in civil protest during wartime. Civil protest in Israel is expanding despite the war, and more and more citizens are taking to the streets across the country and around the world, demanding a different reality – an end to settler violence in the West Bank and an end to the occupation, a reality of political order, democracy, and a future without endless wars."
Standing Together stated in response to the violent dispersal of demonstrations, "Police forces were instructed to carry out arrests and silence dissent. Dozens of protest and peace organizations joined forces this week for the first time since the beginning of the war in Iran, to make their voices heard against Netanyahu's endless war. The government fears the expansion of the protest movement, which this weekend drew thousands of demonstrators to more than 30 locations across the country. We will not give in. The protest against the war and the government will continue to grow."
MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of Hadash-Ta'al, paid his respects to protesters "who stand firm in the face of the forces of fascism," adding, "They are afraid of that voice, the one that says it's possible to live without wars and without threats, to live in true peace and security. They are terrified to death of the alternative we are putting forward, and therefore they are dispersing the demonstration in Habima Square against the war with extreme violence."
Israeli police said the demonstration was illegal "in light of emergency guidelines and the ban on gatherings due to the security situation."
