Residents of the Sharon brace for major Haredi protest near Beit Lid prison

Residents in the Sharon region were preparing on Wednesday for severe disruptions ahead of a protest scheduled for 4:00 p.m. near Prison 10 at the Beit Lid base, close to Kfar Yona. The demonstration is expected to draw Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe and a leading figure in Agudat Israel’s Council of Torah Sages.

Local authorities in Emek Hefer warned that road closures could last until 9:00 p.m. The expected disruptions include Highway 57, Tzomet Tnuvot, Tzomet Beit Lid, and stretches between Beit Lid and Ruppin. The municipality said its warning was based on joint assessments with police and the Border Police. It also said bus traffic and transportation for extracurricular activities and special education could be badly affected.

Residents of Givat Alonim, the neighborhood next to the military base, said they were living under heavy strain. Miki Gerbi, head of the neighborhood committee, said, “We are in fear. There is a huge deployment and it is not pleasant,” adding, “Everyone came home early from work, everyone is at home and the neighborhood is under siege.” He said police have failed to solve the problem and estimated the rally would draw 10,000 to 15,000 people, compared with 400 households in the neighborhood.

Another resident told ynet that a protest the night before had already kept people from returning home and said police were “absorbing” the demonstrators while residents suffered. He warned of dangers if fire or an ambulance were needed. A third resident, Ilan, said the community has been warning since 2018, when the prison plan was announced, and urged a different solution.

Meanwhile, Shas spokesman Asher Medina told Kol Barama that the draft-avoidance law backed and promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would apply only to Haredi draft evaders. He said secular draft dodgers from Tel Aviv were not covered by the “Torato Umanuto” status and “deserve to be arrested.”