Free Palestine: Why Are People Still Protesting Against Israel?
- Uri Pilichowski
- Dec 18, 2025
- 2 min read
For over two years, anti-Israel protesters have held demonstrations, protests, and rallies calling to “Globalize the intifada,” accusing Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza, and calling for a “Free Palestine, from the River to the Sea.” A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was reached in October.
Although the number of protests has lost momentum, the demonstrations against Israel have not stopped. In cities around the world, anti-Israel protests continue.
Anti-Israel protests persist even after a ceasefire: Here’s why
Several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Museumplein Square, close to the concert hall at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, waving Palestinian flags and shouting slogans such as “Concertgebouw, shame on you, blood on your hands” and “child murderers,” according to Dutch daily De Telegraaf. Red and green smoke flares were set off during the protest.
An anti-Israel protest outside the Munk Debates in December in Toronto escalated into violence and resulted in the arrest of two individuals, with two additional protesters removed from inside Toronto’s Meridian Hall for causing disturbances. The event, which focused on whether a two-state solution remains in Israel’s national interest, drew hundreds of demonstrators and required a significant police presence to maintain order.
Despite heavy security, the protests outside the venue quickly grew hostile. Numerous masked individuals waving Palestinian flags gathered near the entrance, holding signs that included slogans such as “The world hates Israel” and “Honk 4 Gaza.”
Anti-Israel activists held a demonstration outside a London synagogue to protest an Israeli immigration event. Groups led by Jewish Anti-Zionist Action (JAZA) and Palestine Pulse rallied outside the St. John’s Wood United Synagogue against a World Zionist Organization Aliyah Day, asserting that the event was facilitating the genocide of Palestinians and colonization of their land.
Is there an end to anti-Israel protests?
Although a ceasefire was reached between Hamas and Israel, the criticism and accusations against Israel have only increased. These criticisms include their claim that Israel continues to occupy Gaza and the West Bank, that Israel operates an apartheid system against the Palestinians, and that Israel is preventing Palestinian self-determination.
Anti-Israel protest groups in the United States heralded an emerging ceasefire deal with calls to keep up pressure on Israel. The Palestinian Youth Movement announced protests in New York City and several other cities in the US and Canada, saying, “Gaza will rise, the struggle never dies.”
The group vowed to continue to work “to lift the siege, liberate all prisoners, end the occupation, and free our land, from the river to the sea.”
With a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in effect, anti-Israel activist groups have pivoted their advocacy toward several objectives to weaken Israel militarily or politically, with many expressing that the next step is the eradication of Israel. Activist groups explained on their platforms, following the ceasefire’s implementation, that the ceasefire was only an initial demand by protesters, and their ultimate objective was to destroy Zionism.
Uri Pilichowski is an author, speaker, and senior educator at institutions around the world.