Kfar Yona officials said Monday they will not allow a repeat of the disruptions that paralyzed the city last week during a large ultra-Orthodox protest outside the military prison at Camp Beit Lid, known as Prison 10. After the Gur Hasidic group announced plans for another demonstration in the area, Mayor Albert Tayeb said, “This time we will block the entrance.”
Tayeb told ynet that the city would not again be sealed off by mass road disruptions. “This event is significant, and we will not let it happen again. Kfar Yona will not be besieged a second time, and if they plan something like this, we will simply block the entrance to the neighborhood,” he said. He added, “I will not close Kfar Yona’s education system again at 2 p.m. Someone here has gone crazy.”
The latest plan, according to organizers, is for about 80 vehicles to leave from 20 locations across the country on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and head toward the military prison while driving slowly to burden traffic in the region. There will be no stage or prayers in Kfar Yona, only a looping convoy around the base with horn blasts so the detainees inside can hear it. The convoy is expected to return to its departure points at around 8 p.m. Police have been briefed, and officials fear major traffic jams.
Residents of Givat Alonim said the situation has become unbearable after repeated disruptions tied to protests by extremists from the Jerusalem Faction. School hours were shortened last week, and after-school activities and birthday parties were canceled. Neighborhood committee chairman Miki Gerbi said residents plan to help block the area themselves, while longtime resident Dudu Salma said he still hoped the protest would be canceled, but if it goes ahead, the neighborhood will prepare a response.
