{"id":363450,"date":"2026-03-29T00:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T00:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/363450\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T00:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T00:03:13","slug":"21-arrested-in-tel-aviv-haifa-during-mounting-protests-against-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/363450\/","title":{"rendered":"21 arrested in Tel Aviv, Haifa during mounting protests against Iran war"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police arrested 21 demonstrators across Israel Saturday night while forcibly dispersing protests against the US-Israeli war with Iran, which turned out hundreds of people in major cities nationwide.<\/p>\n

Among those arrested were 13 protesters in Tel Aviv and eight in Haifa. Protests were also held in Jerusalem and Beersheba.<\/p>\n

The wave of protests was the largest since the outbreak of war with Iran in late February, with hundreds of attendees in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and a roughly 100-person turnout in Haifa.<\/p>\n

The swell in attendees came after several mainstream anti-government groups threw their tentative support behind the demonstrations, in tension with the IDF\u2019s wartime restrictions on public gatherings.<\/p>\n

At Habima Square in Tel Aviv, protesters decried the war and coalition lawmakers\u2019 decision to continue advancing controversial legislation amid the fighting with Iran.<\/p>\n

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Demonstrators held signs that read, \u201cforever war is not a strategy\u201d and \u201ceven in these complex times, we must oppose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIsraelis attend a protest against the current government and ongoing war with Iran in Tel Aviv on March 28, 2026.(Flash90)<\/p>\n

Border Police officers were seen violently dispersing protesters. Law enforcement said attendees broke the law by violating the Home Front Command\u2019s regulations barring outdoor public gatherings of over 50 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring a situation assessment that took place at the scene with a Home Front Command representative\u2026 it was clarified that there was a real risk to human life and accordingly, Yarkon [precinct] police commander Tzachi Sharabi ordered the gathering to be dispersed,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n

Despite his parliamentary immunity, Border Police were also seen putting their hands on Hadash-Ta\u2019al chairman Ayman Odeh, an Arab lawmaker who has been active in the anti-war protests since it began last month.<\/p>\n

\u05d4\u05d2\u05d1\u05dc\u05ea \u05d7\u05d5\u05e4\u05e9 \u05d4\u05de\u05d7\u05d0\u05d4 | \u05e9\u05d5\u05d8\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05ea\u05e7\u05e4\u05d5 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05f4\u05e8 \u05d7\u05d3\u05f4\u05e9-\u05ea\u05e2\u05f4\u05dc \u05d7\u05f4\u05db @AyOdeh<\/a> \u05d1\u05d6\u05de\u05df \u05e9\u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05d8\u05e8\u05d4 \u05de\u05e4\u05d6\u05e8\u05ea \u05d1\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d7\u05e1\u05e8\u05ea \u05ea\u05e7\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d4\u05e4\u05d2\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05db\u05d9\u05db\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9\u05de\u05d4 \u05e0\u05d2\u05d3 \u05d4\u05de\u05de\u05e9\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d4\u05de\u05dc\u05d7\u05de\u05d4 pic.twitter.com\/j9WFs4mEUf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u05d7\u05d3\u05e8 \u05de\u05dc\u05d7\u05de\u05d4 (@waroomisrael) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Following the demonstration, Odeh derided the police as fascists \u201cin the service of the government\u201d whom he said were afraid of \u201cthe heroic citizens who went out, despite everything, to make their voice heard.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are fighting for the sake of all of our lives, and primarily, for the future of our children,\u201d he wrote. \u201cEnough of war, yes to peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another instance, an officer grabbed a middle-aged man by his shirt and threw him to the ground.<\/a><\/p>\n

After the protest had ended, Border Police were seen forcefully shoving attendees who were walking on the sidewalk. The officers followed the small group and repeatedly shouted at them to \u201cmove forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u05d0\u05d7\u05ea \u05d4\u05e9\u05d5\u05d8\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea “\u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d3\u05d7\u05d5\u05e3 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05da \u05e2\u05d5\u05d3 \u05e4\u05e2\u05dd, \u05d6\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e2\u05d6\u05d5\u05e8 \u05dc\u05da \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05e7\u05d3\u05dd, \u05d9\u05d0\u05dc\u05dc\u05d4 \u05ea’\u05e7\u05d3\u05dd”<\/p>\n

\u05ea\u05dc \u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05d1 28\/03\/2026???? \u05e8\u05d5\u05e2\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9 Roi Boshi pic.twitter.com\/phEsPDktLp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 \u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc (@Alimut_Israel) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

At a similar protest in Haifa, demonstrators waved Israeli flags while chanting against the ongoing fighting. One protester held a sign that read: \u201cMillions of children are growing up in bomb shelters.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Some participants moved to block a road, law enforcement said, leading the police commander at the scene to declare the gathering unlawful.<\/p>\n

Haifa police said they arrested lawbreakers, though at least two of those apprehended did not appear to be blocking traffic at the time of their arrest, as seen in footage from the protest.<\/a><\/p>\n

Tentative invitation<\/p>\n

Though such protests have been taking place weekly since the outset of the war, they previously recorded a scant turnout of mostly dedicated left-wing activists, many affiliated with pro-peace organizations and the Communist Party of Israel.<\/p>\n

Last week, several anti-government organizations came to the decision to throw their support behind the protests \u2014 albeit tentatively.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tActivists with the communist Hadash party Israelis protest against the war at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on March 14, 2026. (Flash90)<\/p>\n

Groups such as Rise Israel, Women\u2019s Struggle and the Jerusalem-based Saving our Shared Home spread the word about the demonstrations, but refrained from explicitly calling on their supporters to attend.<\/p>\n

An organizer with Saving our Shared Home told The Times of Israel that they are apprehensive about calling on their supporters to transgress the regulations set by the Home Front Command.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more of a tentative invitation, we\u2019re updating people on the event but not officially inviting them,\u201d he said, adding that there are still many anti-government organizations declining to offer any support to the demonstrations.<\/p>\n

Polling has found that the ongoing war with Iran enjoys consistent and decisive support among Jewish Israelis.<\/p>\n

An Israel Democracy Institute survey earlier this month found 93 percent of Israel\u2019s Jewish public backed the ongoing US-Israeli offensive, while only 26% of Arab Israelis responded the same.<\/p>\n


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