Ultra-Orthodox Protests Expected to Cause Major Traffic Jams in Central Israel and Jerusalem

Drivers in central Israel and Jerusalem should prepare for significant traffic disruptions and major jams on Thursday afternoon, starting at 4 p.m., due to planned large-scale protests by extremist ultra-Orthodox factions. The protests are being organized by the Jerusalem Faction, also known as the "Committee to Save the World of Torah," in response to the recent arrests of two ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers. One individual was apprehended overnight in Beersheba, while the second was detained in Eilat the previous evening and handed over to military police after his status as a draft dodger was confirmed. The Jerusalem Faction's demonstrations are typically more disruptive than those organized by the "Hezponikim" group, which occasionally blocks Highway 4. The committee announced that Rabbi Azriel Auerbach, a prominent authority on religious law, instructed them to hold large protests across the country following the arrests of yeshiva students and kollel members by military authorities for allegedly studying Torah and being abandoned by the ultra-Orthodox establishment.