Dozens Protest in Central Israel Against Yeshiva Students' Arrests, Blocking Major Roads

On Monday, around thirty protesters affiliated with the extremist faction of the Jerusalem faction, known as the "Heretzpanim," blocked Geha Road and several sections of Jabotinsky Road in central Israel. The demonstration was organized in response to a recent wave of arrests of yeshiva students accused of evading military service by studying Torah. Among the notable cases fueling the protest was the extradition of Moshe Steiner, a yeshiva student and relative of Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, head of the Mir Yeshiva, who was transferred from the Lahav 433 unit to the military police. Another arrest involved Israel Gochfi, a student from Kfar Hassidim Yeshiva, detained after a dispute with a Haifa inspector over a malfunctioning Rav-Kav card.

The police deployed significant forces to maintain public order and direct traffic, warning of severe congestion on Geha Road, Jabotinsky Road, and Route 4. The protest marks a resurgence of demonstrations after about five weeks of relative calm. The Heretzpanim faction, led by students of Rabbi Zvi Friedman, spearheaded the renewed protests.

Recent arrests have included prominent figures such as Moti Mishkovsky, grandson of Rabbi Natan Zuckowski, head of the Gaon Yaakov Yeshiva, detained near Ben Shemen Forest and handed over to the military police at the Maccabim checkpoint. Another attempted arrest was thwarted at a gas station in Holon when a warning system alerted the student, who was subsequently released.

These arrests follow calls by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to enforce conscription laws more strictly and increase detentions. Police urged drivers to avoid the affected areas and use alternative routes, emphasizing that while the right to protest is respected, disruptions to public safety and freedom of movement will not be tolerated.