Clashes at Jerusalem protest, policeman threw Yair Golan on ground

Hundreds of people gathered Thursday in Jerusalem to protest against the government's intention to oust the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, in a planned government meeting later in the evening.

During the protest, a water cannon was used against the demonstrators. The chairman of the Democratic Party, Major General (ret.) Yair Golan, was seen in a video being thrown to the ground by a police officer.

Lawmaker Gilad Kariv, from Yair Golan's party, responded to police violence: "The opposition leaders must understand that they are next if they do not stand against the takeover of the police and alongside the protesters. [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir's police have crossed another red line in recent days, deliberately harming members of Knesset [Israeli parliament] and political leaders to prevent them from exercising their rights as public representatives and standing with the protesters."

This is the second consecutive day of protests, following thousands rallying at demonstrations in various points throughout Jerusalem. Wednesday's protests saw harsh clashes between police and protesters. At one protest site, a car ran over a protester and dragged him along the windshield for several yards.

Thursday evening, a government meeting is expected to take place in Jerusalem, in which the ministers will discuss the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet. The proposal to terminate his term stems, according to Netanyahu, from a lack of ongoing professional and personal trust between them. According to him, Bar's failure on the eve of October 7th and its impact on the functioning of the Shin Bet, along with his different security perceptions from those of Netanyahu, have necessitated his termination given the complex security situation.