Traffic Chaos Expected Across the Tel Aviv Area as Massive Haredi Protest and Major Concerts Coincide

The Jerusalem Faction announced an escalation and plans to send buses carrying thousands of protesters to central Israel. A source in the faction told Channel 12, "The heavy roadblocks you will see today are only a tiny fraction of what is planned for later."

At the same time, Eyal Golan, Omer Adam and Ben Tzur will hold concerts at three venues in Gush Dan, with about 80,000 people expected to attend. The result: severe traffic disruptions and extraordinary congestion from the early afternoon.

There has never been a day like this on Israel's roads: The Jerusalem Faction announced a huge protest today, Thursday, in central Israel over the arrest of yeshiva students. The mass protest is taking place on the evening when three major concerts are being held in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Petah Tikva, featuring Eyal Golan, Omer Adam and Ben Tzur, and about 80,000 people are expected to attend. Police said, "Postpone non-urgent trips to another time."

As of now, the Jerusalem Faction has announced a protest in central Israel only, with buses leaving from Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Ashdod, Bnei Brak, Modi'in Illit, Elad and Ahisamakh. The start of the large protest is apparently expected at 5:00 p.m.

A source in the Jerusalem Faction told Channel 12: "The heavy roadblocks you will see today are only a tiny fraction of what is planned for later. The struggle against the enlistment of yeshiva students is only at its beginning, and we have no intention of accepting the brazenness and rudeness of turning hundreds of thousands of Torah students into criminals and throwing them into military prison."

"The High Court of Justice broke the rules of the game and dismantled a historic understanding that has existed since the founding of the state, according to which Torah students are an inseparable part of Jewish identity in the Land of Israel, and their place is not in the army but in study halls," the source added. "From the moment that this basic convention was broken, in the eyes of Haredi Judaism the whole package fell apart."

The source concluded: "We will defend the honor of the Torah and those who study it, if necessary with our blood too. We will not give up on a single Torah student in the Land of Israel. We have passed Pharaoh, we will pass the State of Israel too."

Last night, the Jerusalem Faction said that police had completed the transfer of 17 draft evaders from yeshiva students, who were arrested during the heavy protest outside the home of Deputy President of the Supreme Court Noam Sohlberg, to military prison. "In doing so, the Israel Police crossed another red line and effectively declared a serious escalation in the obsessive persecution carried out by state authorities against Torah students," the faction said in its statement.

The Jerusalem Faction also announced: "Tomorrow we will all go out to a determined and uncompromising struggle for the honor of the Torah and those who study it, with a clear cry that will be heard across the country: To prison, not to the army!"

In parallel with the protest, three major concerts will take place in Gush Dan. Eyal Golan is performing at Bloomfield, Omer Adam at Ramat Gan Stadium, and Ben Tzur at HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikva. In total, more than 80,000 people are expected to arrive for the performances, streaming simultaneously toward the stadium areas, mainly from the afternoon hours.

The major Haredi protest, alongside the three huge concerts, will create severe traffic disruptions and lead to exceptionally heavy jams on the main routes of Gush Dan.

Chief Superintendent Amir Gibli, head of the National Traffic Police, said: "The Israel Police Traffic Division is prepared with reinforced forces and a wide deployment, given the expectation of numerous major events and protests today in the central region. The Israel Police will allow the right to protest to be exercised, but will not permit a breach of public order, harm to police officers or endangering road users. We call on the public to obey the instructions of the police officers, who will be deployed at intersections and on main roads. We urge drivers in Gush Dan to avoid, as much as possible, traveling on intercity roads and to postpone non-urgent trips to another time."