Jerusalem Faction Plans Major Protests and Road Blocks in Central Israel Tomorrow

The Jerusalem Faction announced today, Wednesday, a further escalation in its protest against the arrest of yeshiva students and married students, saying it will hold a series of demonstrations and road blockages in the central region tomorrow. According to the announcement, the protests are expected to take place in the afternoon at several major sites in the Gush Dan area and surrounding region, with the aim of “crying out against the persecution of Torah learners.”

In a statement from the faction’s “Committee to Save the Torah World,” it said the decision to intensify the protest was made in light of the “continued hunt against Torah students” and against the backdrop of the arrest of yeshiva students and their transfer to military prison. It was also reported that the move is being led by rabbis and students of the faction, headed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Auerbach and other yeshiva heads.

In the Jerusalem Faction, they said that in recent times there has been an escalation in law enforcement activity against ultra-Orthodox protesters, including the use of riot dispersal measures and arrests. “The attempt to break the spirit of the protesters will not deter us from the struggle,” the statement said, which also strongly criticized the involvement of security agencies in enforcing the protests.

According to the organizers’ statement, the protests are expected to include blockages of major traffic arteries in the central region, and they have distributed a “general blockade map” ahead of the demonstration.

The police are also preparing for the protests. In the past, police made clear that they would not allow prolonged road blockages or harm to public order.

In recent weeks, there have been several clashes between Jerusalem Faction protesters and police forces in Jerusalem and on major roads in central Israel, against the backdrop of the arrest of draft evaders and yeshiva students. Some of the protests ended in clashes, arrests, and widespread traffic disruptions.

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Faction said it is considering “recalculating” the blockade and protest map planned for tomorrow, following police plans to transfer 19 yeshiva students, defined as draft evaders, to military prison for studying Torah, after they were released from detention in connection with the Solberg events. Figures in the Jerusalem Faction said that “the latest developments are expected to lead to a significant escalation in the protest, and to the expansion of protest sites across the country.” According to them, “the country will burn, everywhere, at all times.”