Why Blocking Roads Is Often Legal in Israel

Road blocking in Israel is usually not a criminal offense by itself, the article explains. Because Israel is a democracy, freedom of expression and the right to protest can include blocking roads, a principle that has applied for decades, effectively since the state was founded.

There are, however, two major limits. If protesters commit another offense while blocking traffic, such as endangering human life, that offense is punishable on its own. Also, when a demonstration passes a certain size, organizers must coordinate it with the police, and police may attach conditions to the event in order to balance protest rights against harm to other citizens and public order.

The blurry part is how police decide what counts as a public-order disturbance, since that can justify dispersing a protest by force, though not by illegal violence. Dr. Yael Litmanovitz, head of the policing and internal security program at the Israel Democracy Institute and a former police adviser on protest policing, said, "Here lies the significant weak point," adding that police are left to determine the right balance, while protesters tend to see their own cause as justifying the disruption.

Litmanovitz said public reactions to police decisions are shaped by political views and social identity, so people are more tolerant of protests they support and less tolerant of those they oppose. She said the growing number and intensity of road blockades is worsening the problem because Israelis do not share a common understanding of the limits, and declining trust in police and rising polarization make accusations of selective enforcement inevitable. The article also says National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has tried to influence how police handle demonstrations, including operations in Kaplan and in Bnei Brak, moves that polls show have damaged public trust and may reduce cooperation even in dangerous situations.