Jerusalem Faction Protests Disrupt Traffic, Clashes Erupt With Police

Hundreds of protesters from the Jerusalem Faction, a Haredi group, demonstrated across Israel on Thursday evening, blocking major roads and clashing with police. The protests, which began around 4 p.m. and lasted for approximately two hours, were a response to the renewed arrests of yeshiva students classified as draft dodgers. In Jerusalem, demonstrators blocked the entrance to the city near the Chords Bridge and gathered on Bar Ilan Street, causing significant traffic disruptions. Police rerouted drivers and halted light rail service in the area of the central bus station. One incident involved police using stun grenades and other dispersal methods to extricate a Haredi soldier whose car was surrounded by protesters. Videos circulated online appearing to show police officers striking protesters with batons, and one clip depicted a policewoman pulling a protester's tzitzit (fringes) until it tore. Another video showed an officer throwing a stun grenade at a protester's upper body, raising questions about the use of the device. In Bnei Brak, Highway 4 was blocked in both directions, with hundreds of protesters sitting on the road near the Coca Cola Bridge, chanting "We will die and not enlist." Police declared the demonstrations illegal after protesters refused to disperse, leading to confrontations. Two protesters were arrested on suspicion of assaulting police officers, who reported being called "Nazis" by some demonstrators.