Driver In Thursday Jerusalem Faction Protest Hit-and-Run Still at Large

Nearly four days after a hit-and-run on Route 1 near the Ben Shemen Interchange, the driver who struck a 20-year-old yeshiva student during a protest by the Jerusalem Faction has still not been arrested. Police sources said investigators managed to identify the suspected driver only yesterday, but he has not been found and is believed to be hiding from police.

The Route 1 incident was one of two hit-and-runs that occurred within less than an hour during last Thursday’s Jerusalem Faction demonstrations against military conscription. The protests were part of a broader campaign over the draft issue.

Separately, police on Friday questioned under caution the woman suspected of hitting a pedestrian during road blockages at a protest over the arrest of yeshiva students for Torah study. The suspect, a 22-year-old from Kafr Qasim, was questioned at the Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan police station and then released home under restrictive conditions.

According to police, she hit a 93-year-old pedestrian and drove away without stopping. She later turned herself in to police and sought medical treatment. In a Monday interview with i24NEWS, she said her car was surrounded by protesters, that she was subjected to insults, and that she feared for her safety and thought the demonstrators might lynch her. She said she used pepper spray to try to push the crowd back, but the situation escalated, and only after leaving did she realize she had hit someone.