Several hundreds of Israelis rallied across the country on Saturday evening, June 21, despite emergency measures imposed by the far-right government, against the war with Iran, to protest the Gaza war and demand a deal to release the remaining hostages held in captivity.
Protests were held outside the residence of the President Issac Herzog, the homes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers Nir Barkat and Ron Dermer in Jerusalem, as well as near the residences of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Tel Aviv, where two demonstrators were arrested, the Likud headquarters at King George Street, the homes of ministers Amihai Shikly (Kibbutz Hanaton), Yoav Kisch (Ramat Hasharon), Miri Regev (Rosh HaAyn) and Likud MK Eli Dallal (Natanya) where two activists were detained. Other vigils were held at Nes Ziona and Modi’in, and Karkur, Gomeh, Hosen, Kiryat Tivon, Kibbutz Eilon and Tel-Aviv junctions.
Anti-occupation activists held a demonstration last Thursday, June 19, in Jerusalem calling for an end to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and opposition to the Israeli escalation with Iran. During the protest, a group of right-wing settlers attacked the demonstrator, shouting racist slurs, and attempted to seize a large banner that called for an end to the war. They also tore up several signs carried by the demonstrators (Photo: Activestills)
In Haifa, police dispersed a demonstration at Emile Habibi Square in Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. However, at the same hour, dozens gathered against war and occupation at the Central Carmel neighborhood in the northern city. According to Hadash, “Under the cover of war, Netanyahu’s government Is violating human and civil rights, and the police use Iran war emergency rules to suppress anti-war and anti-occupation protests.”
Since the outbreak of the war with Iran on June 13, 2025, there has been increasing documentation on social media and in the press of the police violently dispersing peaceful protests and arresting demonstrators. This occurred during a peaceful protest with 40 at Habima Square in Tel Aviv that called for an end to the war; during a peaceful 10-person protest vigil in Haifa calling for an end to the war; during a quiet demonstration held by four people at Begin Gate in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the hostages; and at a one-person protest in front of the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem.
On last Wednesday, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) approached the police and the Attorney General with a request that they instruct law enforcement to immediately stop suppressing protest events and cease illegal interference in the content of protests.
In the appeal, Elsa Bugnet from ACRI’s legal department wrote that the aggressive dispersal and sweeping suppression of legal protests, is not proportionate, harms freedom of protest and expression in Israel, and creates a chilling effect that deters additional protesters from engaging in protest activities. Bugnet emphasized that the Home Front Command guidelines and restrictions on assemblies are not meant to revoke the right to protest and freedom of expression, especially when these gatherings include a limited number of protesters and are conducted near a protected area (such as a public shelter).
The appeal references rulings and guidelines that consistently establish that the police do not have the authority to interfere in the content of demonstrations and to censor protest signs and shirts that they do not like, and they are not authorized to disperse a demonstration because they do not agree with the topic of the protest.
“The overall conduct of the police in recent days raises serious concerns about the exploitation of the state of emergency and mass panic in order to prevent protesters, particularly those protesting with calls to end the war and massacre in Gaza, from exercising their basic right to demonstrate, and to establish a status quo of far-reaching restrictions on freedom of protest and expression in Israel during emergency and non-emergency periods,” ACRI said.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32756
