Thousands of Haredim Protest at Multiple Sites as Jerusalem Sect Threatens Wider Demonstrations

Amid the riots at Justice Solberg’s home and the arrests of draft evaders, the Jerusalem Faction called on Wednesday for emergency protests at four locations in central Israel. Large crowds arrived at Abu Kabir and the Russian Compound. A cynical notice was also published that read, “Residents of central Israel, take note!” A source in the Haredi Edah said to N12, “There will be no more red lines.” At the military court, a Haredi draft evader affiliated with the Jerusalem Faction was sentenced to 40 days in prison.

Earlier today it was reported that the Shin Bet would be involved in preparations around Haredi protests in support of draft evaders, in order to prevent harm to symbols of government, including the police, the IDF, and judges. According to the announcement, the organization is not expected to be involved in the investigations currently underway surrounding the break-in to Justice Solberg’s home and the police station, but rather in preventing similar incidents in the future.

In the main locations, an announcement distributed among the Torah-observant public said, “We will go out in a broad protest against the extradition process.” It added, “Those who fear the word of God are called to come out to the protest sites throughout the country.”

After the call, thousands of Haredim הגיעו to Abu Kabir in an effort to secure the release of the detainees, and a confrontation took place there between police forces and Haredi protesters. Hundreds blocked the entrance to the detention facility and Tel Giborim Road in protest of the arrests of draft evaders. Police mounted horses were among the forces operating there, and at this stage one arrest is known. The access road to Abu Kabir and Ben Zvi Road were blocked for about three and a half hours. During the protest, a Haredi yeshiva student from the extremist circles who had been arrested during the riots at Justice Solberg’s home about a week ago was released from the detention facility, according to Jerusalem Faction reports. At the same time, a source in the Haredi Edah claimed that some of the Solberg detainees had already been transferred to the military prison.

Another disturbance broke out near the police station at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. The protesters blocked the movement of vehicles carrying detainees from the detention center and, according to police, threw objects at the forces and attacked officers. Police added that the protest sites in the city, including the Russian Compound, HaNeviim Street and Chaim Bar-Lev Boulevard, turned into violent disturbances. Border Police, Yasam and Metaf forces are operating in the area and used stun grenades and mounted police to disperse the disturbance and clear the roads. So far, police have arrested three suspects for rioting and attacking officers.

A student from the Hebrew University described to N12 how she was attacked after the bus she was riding on from class, line 19, was caught in the protest. According to her, the driver told passengers that it was probably not possible to continue and recommended they get off the bus. She said that at first the rioters shouted “shiksa” at her and spit at her. Later, when she tried to move away from the protesters, she said, “I tried to do it as fast as possible, but one of them grabbed my hair. I yelled at him and ran away.”

In a statement sent to the Haredi public, a source in the Edah HaChareidis threatened N12, “If Solberg’s detainees are transferred to military prison, there will be no more red lines, we will protest in places no one ever dreamed of.”

In addition, the Vaad LeHatzalat HaTorah published a notice in a cynical style identical to the wording of an IDF spokesman, in which it threatened roadblocks and protest areas. “Residents of central Israel, take note! In the coming days there will be a protest and this area will be closed to traffic due to the continued detention of yeshiva students and the persecution of the Torah world,” the notice said.

The events began after riots were reported at Justice Solberg’s home, during which police arrested 54 people. Of the total, police announced that 19, who were found to be army draft evaders, would be transferred to the military police. Police will ask the court to extend the detention of four other detainees, while the rest will be released under restrictive conditions.

During the investigation of the incident, a dramatic development was recorded when materials collected in the case showed that the event had been planned in advance in great detail, with a real intent to physically harm the senior judge. Alongside the announcement on the transfer of the detainees, the military court today sentenced another Haredi draft evader, the son of one of the senior figures in the Jerusalem Faction, to 40 days in prison.

Protesters were called to the streets against what the Haredim describe as the “extradition process” of the detainees, who are defined as draft evaders, to military authorities. The main protest points set were the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, Nitzan Prison in Ramla, Hadarim Prison, Highway 4 in the north and Sharon area, and the Abu Kabir complex for the central region.