Protesters, cops face off outside Likud HQ-turned-‘Qatar Embassy’ after dozens storm building; at least 57 said arrested

Anti-government protesters face off with police officers, some on horseback, outside Metzudat Zeev, the Likud party headquarters in central Tel Aviv, where at least 57 activists were arrested after dozens of people stormed the building, according to a group of lawyers representing anti-government protesters pro bono.

During the protest, activists projected a Qatari flag with the caption “Embassy of Qatar” in Hebrew and Arabic onto the building, which is named for Revisionist Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky and houses an institute that published his writings.

Senior aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the Likud party, are suspected of committing multiple offenses while working for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm.

The Detainee Support Organization says those detained at “Metzudat Zeev Tel Aviv, turned this evening into the Qatari embassy,” have been taken to the Salame police station in the city’s south.

Cops at Metzudat Zeev drag protesters from the road to the sidewalk. Some of the protesters wear orange jumpsuits and masks with Netanyahu’s face.

The stench of horse droppings hangs heavy in the air, and a cloud of smoke is yet to dissipate from a fire the protesters had lit. The protesters chant “Civil rebellion” and “Ben Gvir is a terrorist,” referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police.