Police Prepare as Jerusalem Faction Threatens to Block Major Roads

The Jerusalem Faction announced expected road blockades in the center of the country this evening (Thursday), but did not specify the locations. Police are preparing to confront the protesters.

The Jerusalem Faction said today (Thursday) that starting at 5:00 p.m., a series of demonstrations and road blockades will take place in the center of the country, in protest of the arrest of yeshiva students and their transfer to military prison. The exact locations of the blockades were not made public.

In a statement from the “Committee to Save the World of Torah,” it was said that the protest is taking place against the backdrop of a “hunt against Torah scholars” and the continued detention of yeshiva students. “The dictators’ attempt by the authorities to break the spirit of the protesters will not deter us from the struggle against the persecution of Torah scholars in the Land of Israel,” the statement said.

The protest comes after 17 draft evaders, who were arrested during the demonstration near the home of the deputy president of the Supreme Court, Justice Noam Sohlberg, were transferred to the Military Police and to military prison. After the arrests, the Jerusalem Faction issued a sharp statement, in which it claimed that the police had “crossed another red line” and called on its supporters to join a “determined and uncompromising” struggle.

Yesterday, members of the faction rioted for many hours at several locations and clashed with police, and the assessment in the police is that blockades are expected today in additional areas as well. For that reason, there is heightened preparation to deal with the protesters and disperse them quickly.