Large vehicle convoys organized by Gur Hasidic followers are expected to depart from several cities this afternoon, part of the ongoing protest against the military draft. Organizers warn of major traffic congestion, especially on routes to Jerusalem from 16:00 onward, with departures from Beitar Illit, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in Illit, El'ad, and other towns.
A new message from protest organizers this morning identifies the Gur Hasidic community as leading today's convoy action, with departure points including Beitar Illit, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Modi'in Illit, El'ad, and other towns. Traffic disruptions, especially on routes to Jerusalem from 16:00 onward, are expected, the organizers warn. The call follows a prior recording by Gur leader Rabbi Moshe Chaim Dandrovič urging participation in Friday's vehicle protest, as The Zioneer reported at 10:46 on Tuesday (Tue Jun 23).
The Zioneer first reported on a planned large-scale Haredi protest convoy at 21:32 on Tuesday (Tue Jun 23), noting a warning from an activist source about major traffic disruptions across Israeli roads. Twelve minutes later, at the same timestamp, commentator Shalom Yerushalmi was cited reporting that the hardline Jerusalem faction planned slow-car convoys at 20-30 km/h with loudspeakers. Shortly after, a message on the 'Zman Yisrael' channel specified that thousands of Haredi vehicles would depart from 19 cities starting at 16:00 toward Prison 10 at Beit Lid. This morning at 08:28, The Zioneer reported that a major Haredi protest convoy was expected to cause severe traffic disruptions. The current update adds the Gur sect as the specific organizer and refines the list of departure cities.
As The Zioneer has reported over the past week, the convoy is part of a broader wave of Haredi protests against the military draft of yeshiva students, which has included road blockades, clashes with police, and mass rallies outside military prisons. On Sunday Jun 21, Gur Hasidic followers blocked traffic and clashed with drivers in Arad after the release of a couple suspected of child abuse. On Thu Jun 11, dozens of protesters took to the streets after arrests of draft evaders.
The organizers have described the action as peaceful at this stage. It remains unclear how police will respond, whether the convoys will face disruption — and if so, whether organizers will follow through on a prior threat to block roads if disrupted, which The Zioneer reported at 07:03 Wednesday morning.
7 developments
- DevelopingHaredi protests spread to multiple cities after draft dodger arrests
- StrongExtremist Haredim protest outside Beit Lid military base against draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingHaredi protesters try to block extradition of draft evaders to military police in Jerusalem
- StrongHundreds of Haredim block police in Ashdod to prevent arrest of draft deserter — who is not Haredi
Source and signal
- Internal intake