Haredi Passengers Sue Israeli Police for Being Abandoned at Golani Junction

A group of dozens of Haredi passengers traveling from Modi'in Illit to Tiberias were forced off their bus at Golani Junction in the early hours of October 20, 2025. They have filed a civil lawsuit against the Israel Police and two officers for 130,000 shekels, alleging they were unjustly removed from the bus and left stranded late at night. The incident occurred on Superbus line 859 around 1 a.m., after one passenger was caught smoking an electronic cigarette. The bus driver stopped the vehicle and called police. Upon arrival about 30 minutes later, officers ordered all passengers, most of whom appeared Haredi, to disembark with their belongings despite their protests that they were uninvolved and wished to continue to their destination.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Haim Bleicher from the Honenu organization, details that when one passenger questioned an officer's behavior, the officer forcibly pulled him toward the police vehicle and threatened arrest for insulting a public servant, releasing him only after an apology. The officers then instructed the bus driver to leave with an empty bus, wishing him a "good trip," while the passengers were left alone at the isolated junction. The stranded passengers had to find alternative transportation, some hitchhiking and others later picked up by another bus driver passing by.

Attorney Bleicher condemned the event as a serious and unjust violation against innocent passengers who did not act violently and were abandoned on the roadside late at night. He vowed to pursue full legal accountability for those responsible through both criminal and civil channels.