Jewish anti-Netanyahu protesters call for ceasefire and hostages’ return

Hundreds of anti-Netanyahu demonstrators gathered in Whitehall on Sunday calling for another ceasefire and the return of hostages held in Gaza.

Organised by We Democracy, a grassroots group of Israeli and British Jews, the protest came amid mounting frustration over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct during the war and renewed concerns about threats to judicial and democratic institutions.

Speakers included Sharon Lifschitz, a British-Israeli academic whose parents were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. Her mother, Yochaved, was released weeks later. Her father, Oded, died in captivity.

“I thought that when my father comes back, I will take a bit of time,” Lifschitz told the crowd. “But it’s not the time to mourn. We are in trauma, and we go from the trauma to action, and we do what it takes to bring all the hostages back. And it’s not possible to bring them home without democracy.”

Dozens of protestors carried posters reading “Bring Them Home”, “Stop the War”, and “Not in Our Name”. A large banner read: “The War is Killing the Hostages.”

Magen Inon, whose parents Bilha and Yakovi were killed on 7 October, urged the British Jewish community to speak out. “There is no security without peace,” he said. “There is no peace without democracy. And there is no democracy without ending the occupation.”

The protest followed a week of upheaval in Israel, including the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, efforts to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and the resumption of bombing in Gaza, which ended a fragile ceasefire. Protestors warned these developments endangered both hostages and Israel’s democratic future.

Professor Osnat Akirav, President of the Israel Political Science Association, said more than 300 bills introduced by the government have threatened the country’s democratic foundations. “This is a blitz against democracy,” she said.

This comes after more than 100,000 pro-democracy rallies have taken place across Israel, with some estimates suggesting that 1 per cent of the country’s population has taken to the streets in protest.

Speaking to the Jewish News, protestors shared personal motivations for attending the London gathering. “I feel the Jewish values I was raised with are being destroyed,” one said. “War is such a primitive response. Even if our partners are difficult, we have to keep trying to talk.”

Another added: It’s so important to speak out for an Israel we can still identify with; I can’t identify with what’s happening anymore.”

Rabbi Jeremy Gordon closed the rally by quoting the Talmudic phrase Davar zeh talui banu – “this thing depends on us.” He urged British Jews to act, not just pray.

The demonstration ended with a moment of silence and a reading of the names of the 59 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza.