Bnei Brak Mayor Says Kaplan Protesters Set the Example for Haredi Demonstrations

Bnei Brak Mayor Hanoch Zeibert, one of the organizers of the planned “car convoy” protest, said in an interview with Dana Varon that the Haredi public learned from the anti-government Kaplan demonstrators how protests should work. He argued that if others are allowed to close roads and protest, Haredim should have the same right, and insisted that the convoy is a lawful, respectful demonstration against what he described as discriminatory enforcement and persecution.

Zeibert said the protesters are “law-abiding” and rejected criticism over the temporary shutdown of Route 4 last week. He said, “Roads belong to everyone. You can drive on any road, and certainly you can protest.” He also pointed to a neighborhood in Bnei Brak that was blocked because of a singer’s performance, saying that if a neighborhood can be closed for that, then protest is also legitimate.

Asked whether mass protests could backfire, Zeibert replied that doing nothing is worse. “If you do nothing, they keep chasing you, and your voice is not heard,” he said, adding that over recent years “every day and every month became worse than the one before.” He accused the system of targeting the Haredi public through the attorney general, sanctions, and arrests, and said rights are being taken away from Haredim in ways not applied to Arabs, terrorists, or others.

He also said there is a growing change in the Haredi sector on military service for those who do not study Torah, but argued that under current conditions “nobody will enlist” because the state does not adapt to residents’ needs. The convoy protest is set to begin Wednesday at 4 p.m., with thousands of vehicle owners from 19 cities, from Safed to Arad, driving in organized convoys toward Military Prison 10 near Beit Lid. Police are deploying about 200 officers in the area and say the convoys will not be allowed into Kfar Yona or the prison compound.