March 19, 2025 (EIRNS)—Mass protests engulfed Jerusalem on the evening of March 18 and this morning, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets to denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for resuming war against Gaza, abandoning all negotiations with Hamas for the release of the 59 hostages still in its possession, and for the announced firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. A series of protests are scheduled to take place over the coming days, some in front of the Knesset, some in front of Netanyahu’s home to demand his removal and an immediate change in policy. Police were deployed in full force to stop the protesters, using “extreme violence,” the Jerusalem Post reported. There have been several arrests.
Ha’aretz reported this morning that at least 40,000 people, members of the Defensive Shield Forum, rallied at Habima Square Tuesday night to protest the firing of Bar and the resumption of the war on Gaza, begun the previous night, which put an end to any hostage deal. The Defensive Shield Forum is made up of former high-ranking security officials from the police, intelligence and police services, some of whom served under Netanyahu. Often with harsh rhetoric, angry speakers attacked Netanyahu for leading Israel “into the abyss,” for refusing to set up a commission of inquiry into the events of Oct. 7, 2023, and for abandoning the hostages.
