Ultra-Orthodox Protests Disrupt Traffic Across Israel
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protested across the country on Thursday against the resumption of draft evasion arrests, causing major traffic disruptions in central Israel and Jerusalem. Roads were blocked and Jerusalem's light rail service was affected. The protests, organized by the Jerusalem Faction, followed earlier incidents where demonstrators prevented military police from arresting draft dodgers.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protested across Israel on Thursday against draft evasion arrests.
- Protests caused severe traffic congestion in central Israel and on routes to Jerusalem.
- Roads including Highway 4 and the entrance to Jerusalem were blocked by demonstrators.
- Jerusalem's light rail service experienced disruptions due to the protests.
- The Jerusalem Faction organized the demonstrations, which followed earlier interventions to prevent arrests.
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis demonstrated across the country on Thursday afternoon, protesting the resumption of arrests for draft evasion. The protests, which began around 4 p.m., caused severe traffic congestion in central Israel and on the routes to Jerusalem. Key roads, including Highway 4 near Bnei Brak and the entrance to Jerusalem at the Chords Bridge, were blocked by demonstrators. In Jerusalem, the protests also led to disruptions on the light rail, with service on lines L1 and L3 being split or shortened.
The demonstrations were organized by the "Jerusalem Faction," a hardline ultra-Orthodox group. The protests followed a series of incidents earlier in the week where large numbers of ultra-Orthodox men intervened to prevent the arrest of draft dodgers. In one instance in Modi'in, protesters surrounded military police who were attempting to arrest a draft evader, eventually allowing the soldier to leave without making the arrest. Similar events occurred in Bat Yam and Dimona, where protesters used warning systems and gathered in large numbers to thwart military police operations.
The IDF had reportedly paused proactive arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders for over two months, but the recent interventions by protesters appear to have prompted a return to these enforcement actions.
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