Nighttime Highway 7 standoff ends after dozens block detention of yeshiva student

Around 2:30 a.m. overnight between Sunday and Monday, police stopped a vehicle on Highway 7 near the Beit Raban junction on the way to Ashdod and identified a yeshiva student as an IDF draft evader. Police then called in the military police to take him into custody, apparently for transfer to detention.

Once the alert was relayed through the Black Flag and “The Kidnappers Have Arrived” warning networks used by members of the Jerusalem Faction to mobilize against arrests of yeshiva students, dozens of protesters rushed to the scene within minutes. A large crowd quickly gathered around the security forces and the stopped vehicle.

Because of the crowd’s arrival, concerns about escalation, and a delay in the military police’s arrival, authorities decided to release the student immediately. The protesters celebrated with dancing, then blocked Highway 7 for about an hour.

The standoff ended only after a “return to his studies” order was issued, after which the demonstrators dispersed.