Hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Protest Bus Operations on Shabbat in Safed, Clashing with Police and Secular Residents

On Saturday, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered near the central bus station in Safed, blocking the main road to oppose the operation of bus lines before the end of Shabbat. The buses were scheduled to run to Haifa, Kiryat Shmona, and Nahariya, which the protesters viewed as a violation of the sanctity of the day. Clashes ensued between the demonstrators and police officers who attempted to clear the road and disperse the crowd. Concurrently, dozens of secular residents protested against the roadblock, citing disruption to city traffic and infringement on freedom of movement.

This marked the fifth consecutive Saturday of such confrontations around Safed’s central station, reflecting deeper tensions in the city where about 54% of residents are ultra-Orthodox and 46% belong to the general population. Secular residents have expressed concerns over ongoing erosion of shared community life. Recent months have seen incidents exacerbating divisions, including posting anti-IDF soldier flyers, vandalizing billboards featuring women, and tearing down Israeli flags. Past disputes also involved attempts to rename streets from Zionist figures to rabbis.

These local tensions in northern Israel mirror similar conflicts over public space during weekends across the country, such as recent ultra-Orthodox protests in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market demanding the closure of a café on Shabbat. The ongoing disputes highlight the broader societal friction between religious and secular communities ahead of the 2026 elections.