Soldier Reportedly Pointed Gun at Haredi Bus Passengers at Road 443 Checkpoint

A serious incident at a checkpoint on Route 443 on Saturday night has sparked criticism after a soldier allegedly pointed his weapon at Haredi passengers on a bus during a routine inspection. According to a report by Yaakov Herschkovitz in Israel Hayom, the confrontation took place as the bus passed through the checkpoint, where soldiers were carrying out standard searches.

Passengers said the soldier boarded the bus and asked several people to get off, claiming there were too many passengers onboard. The exchange escalated, and according to the passengers, they told him he had no right to force them off the bus. They then alleged that he aimed his weapon at them.

The IDF said the searches are routine because of attempts to infiltrate the Israeli rear via public transportation. In its statement, the army said that in the incident described, some passengers were asked to leave the bus so it could be inspected and searched. An initial inquiry found that the soldier acted contrary to procedure.

The army added that the rules have been reinforced and that the soldier has been suspended from operational duty for the current rotation.