Police: Haredi protesters tried to storm Jerusalem’s Lev HaBira station and were pushed back
Haredi protesters arrived Thursday evening, Friday night, at the Lev HaBira police station in Jerusalem to protest the arrest of Haredim who were detained during the riots at the home of Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Justice Noam Sohlberg. Police pushed the demonstrators back and eventually managed to disperse them, using force.
Meanwhile, Haredi protesters also arrived in Beit Shemesh, where there were also violent clashes with police. Police said the rioters threw stones and objects at officers, who in response used force and crowd-control measures to disperse them.
The incident took place two days after dozens of Haredi protesters הגיעו to Sohlberg’s home in the Gush Etzion settlement of Alon Shvut and rioted in protest over the arrest of draft evaders and the draft exemption law. Some smashed the house’s windows. The judge and his family were at home during the serious incident. Dozens were arrested.
Sohlberg’s wife, Meira, commented on the difficult incident outside her home: “I have no other country, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going anywhere. It cannot be that Jews hurt one another like this. This is destruction, a pogrom. What is this, Kristallnacht?”
Retired Supreme Court President Justice Esther Hayut addressed the riots at Sohlberg’s home today. “I saw fit to warn that alongside the complex security reality we face every day against our enemies, we are deteriorating to the brink of anarchy within,” Hayut said. “At this dangerous crossroads, I saw fit to call on all of us to stop, collect ourselves, and return to sane, values-based and responsible conduct, because our very lives are at stake.”
In the main evening broadcast last night, quotes were published for the first time from Supreme Court justices in closed conversations with court professionals. “Our blood has been made forfeit, we are worried and afraid,” the justices said. “A bright red line has been crossed. The day is not far off when a Supreme Court justice will be harmed. These are the products of the incitement we have been experiencing day after day for years.”
Meanwhile, Channel 13 reported for the first time that courts across the country will not operate for one hour this coming Sunday, for informational assemblies.
Earlier yesterday, Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit issued a letter to judges, writing that “the attack on the Sohlberg family home is an attack on the rule of law and the justice system.” He added, “Last night an incident of unprecedented severity took place. This is a crossing of a red line, conduct that goes far beyond the bounds of legitimate protest and constitutes an attempt to harm the sense of security of judicial officeholders and their families.”
In a statement published yesterday by the Courts Administration, it said: “The Judges’ Representative Committee views very seriously the harm to a judge’s home and property because of his judicial role. This is an exceptional and serious incident, beyond the bounds of legitimate protest, and constitutes a wrongful attempt to intimidate judges and undermine the independence of the judiciary.”
On Sunday, courts throughout the country will not operate for one hour, and between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. informational assemblies will be held in all courts.
