Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Block Highway 4 Near Bnei Brak Over IDF Draft Arrests

Extremist ultra-Orthodox groups are expected to block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak on Thursday evening to protest the military draft and arrests of draft evaders. The police announced that Highway 4 will be closed in both directions from Aluf Sadeh to Em HaMoshavot, with potential traffic congestion and blockages also expected on Jabotinsky Road in Bnei Brak. Officers from the Dan District will be present to direct traffic and maintain public order, advising the public to use alternative routes and avoid the area.

The demonstration is in response to the detention of young ultra-Orthodox men who refused to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. Among the protesters are students of Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, known as the "Hartzfaniks," who share a similar extremist stance to the Jerusalem Faction and have declared their participation in the protest near Bnei Brak. Later Thursday evening, an unusual protest by the Sanz Hasidic community is planned outside Prison 10, led by their Rebbe, following the arrest of a young member of their sect.

At the end of last month, massive ultra-Orthodox protests against conscription caused severe traffic disruptions nationwide, with convoys of vehicles departing from dozens of locations in 19 cities from north to south. Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members joined and led the convoys, which emptied major roads. On Highway 1, traffic was halted for about 50 minutes after a convoy of over 100 vehicles passed, resuming only after police arrived. Clashes between secular and ultra-Orthodox youths were recorded in Arad, and near Kiryat Ono, an ultra-Orthodox man was filmed whipping bus passengers with a rubber strap during the protest, forcing the bus to stop.