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Thousands of demonstrators gathered Wednesday night outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, protesting the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and what they called the government’s failure to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Protesters blocked roads, set bonfires and clashed with police, who used water cannons to disperse the crowd. One officer was lightly injured and taken to a hospital. In a separate incident, a protester was struck by a taxi and dragged several feet on the hood before falling to the ground. He sustained minor injuries, and both he and the driver were called in for questioning.
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Anti-government protesters clash with police as demonstrations against Shin Bet chief dismissal heat up
(Video: Gil Yochanan, Gilad Cohen )
Leading protest organizers threatened to escalate demonstrations into acts of civil disobedience, calling for mass strikes and nationwide disruption. Moshe Radman, a prominent activist, declared, “In the coming days, we will stand here in shifts to show that we are moving from protest to civil disobedience. If Netanyahu moves forward with firing the attorney general and the Shin Bet chief, Israel must come to a complete halt.”
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Opposition figures joined the protests, with former defense minister Benny Gantz urging an immediate investigation into the taxi incident, calling it “a serious attack on democracy.” Meanwhile, former prime minister Naftali Bennett accused Netanyahu of undermining Israel’s security institutions, warning that his government is “destroying public trust.”
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Protesters block roads, set bonfires and clash with police outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem as demonstrations against Shin Bet chief dismissal heat up
(Photo: Gilad Cohen)
The protests coincided with the swearing-in of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, prompting chants of “This is our country, not TikTok Minister Ben-Gvir’s” and “We won’t take orders from a terrorist” from the crowd.
Tensions escalated throughout the evening, with demonstrators attempting to breach police barriers and block key roads, including Route 1, leading into Jerusalem. Organizers vowed to continue their efforts, calling on business leaders and labor unions to join a mass shutdown in the coming days.