Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters from the "Harespanikim" faction blocked Route 4 at the Geha interchange near Bnei Brak on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., in protest of the arrest of a draft evader who had been sentenced to 14 days in jail. Police declared the rally illegal and dispersed the crowd forcefully, using mounted police, batons and stun grenades. Officers were filmed dragging demonstrators across the road and tearing their pants during the clashes.
The operation triggered accusations of selective enforcement from senior ultra-Orthodox politicians. Shas leader Aryeh Deri said to Itamar Ben Gvir, "It is impossible that what the police did not do in Kaplan against anarchists, they are now doing against citizens who cry out because they study Torah." MK Yoav Ben Tzur said police were applying a discriminatory policy, claiming that Kaplan protesters are addressed over loudspeakers while Haredi demonstrations are met with batons and stun grenades. MK Meir Porush called on the police commissioner and field commanders to resign, saying, "The violent dispersal we saw this morning is something we know from Turkey and Iran."
Ben Gvir, the national security minister, responded by announcing an urgent discussion on the use of stun grenades. He said there had been increasing cases in which stun grenades were used against civilians outside the rules, and warned that he would remove the weapon from police use if it was not limited to special cases.
His stance marks a sharp change from March 2023, when he backed police for using stun grenades against protesters in Tel Aviv and called for "zero tolerance" toward roadblocks and anarchy. At that time he also approved promoting officer Meir Suissa, who was filmed throwing a stun grenade toward Kaplan protesters. In contrast, Ben Gvir now describes the Route 4 protesters as a civilian population and criticizes the police response.
