Driver rams anti-government protester in Jerusalem, drags him for 50 meters
Activist hospitalized after incident, waiting for diagnosis; Democrats party chief Golan labels incident ‘a terrorist attack,’ blames government incitement
A taxi driver rammed into an anti-government protester in Jerusalem during the raucous demonstrations near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in the capital on Wednesday evening.
The incident, which appeared to have likely been an intentional attack, left the protester, Oded Rotem, momentarily unconscious with a minor injury to his leg.
According to eyewitnesses, the car dragged Rotem for some 50 meters (160 feet) on Herzog Street.
The driver fled the scene and was later apprehended by police.
“I am still in the hospital. They still haven’t diagnosed me,” Rotem, a member of the Standing Together coexistence group, told the Walla news site.
Tens of thousands of protesters were drawn to Jerusalem on Wednesday, in an outburst of rage over renewed fighting in Gaza that has left the fate of hostages held by Hamas uncertain, efforts to remove Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and the government’s revival of highly controversial legislation to increase political power over the judiciary.
תיעוד של פיגוע הדריסה נגד חבר הנהגת תנועת עומדים ביחד. נהג המונית מאיץ ונוסע חמישים מטרים כשעודד, חברי, על פגוש המכונית. אני האדם בחולצה הסגולה שרץ אחרי המונית. רגע מזעזע. הנהג עוכב לרגע על ידי המשטרה ושוחרר. ומי חוטף מכות כרגע מהמשטרה של בן גביר? אנחנו. pic.twitter.com/TNPEHSNP35
— Alon-Lee Green – ألون-لي جرين – אלון-לי גרין ???? (@AlonLeeGreen) March 19, 2025
The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan accused Netanyahu’s government of inciting violence, calling the incident “a terrorist attack,” in a post on X.
He asserted that the “violence against patriotic protesters is a direct result of the hatred, lies, and incitement emanating directly from the Israeli government.”
In a similar vein, Alon-Lee Green, co-director of Standing Together, labeled the incident “no less than a car-ramming terror attack,” in a post on X, referring to Palestinian terror rammings.
Protest leaders Shikma Bressler and Yaya Fink told Walla that they were “horrified” by the incident and that such violence was “eroding the foundations of democracy.”
“We don’t expect the government of ‘Hamas is an asset’ to condemn or denounce it,” they said, referencing a quote by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in 2015, which has often been referenced by anti-government activists since the October 7, 2023, attacks to highlight the alleged attitude toward Hamas under successive Netanyahu governments.
“When democratic foundations are dismantled, violence seeps onto the streets. The struggle will continue in order to protect the gatekeepers, to save the hostages and to keep our country,” they added.
Wednesday’s protests saw several incidents of violence, including a clash between police and demonstrators who broke through barriers outside the Prime Minister’s Residence.
Jerusalem police said in the afternoon that they had arrested four people during the protests, including one armed counter-protester who threatened to harm demonstrators.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
