Thousands of Haredi protesters are expected to form vehicle convoys departing from dozens of cities across the country on Wednesday, in a protest against the arrest of draft evaders. Heavy traffic disruptions are anticipated from north to south, according to organizers.
Haredi organizers are planning a nationwide vehicle convoy on Wednesday in protest of military conscription and draft-dodger arrests, with thousands of protesters expected to join convoys departing from dozens of cities across Israel. Heavy traffic disruptions are anticipated from north to south, according to organizers. The protest, initially planned to begin at 16:00, targets Prison 10, where Haredi detainees are held.
This development follows a series of reports by The Zioneer on June 22 (00:52 Jerusalem) that first detailed the protest. Initial plans, attributed to Agudat Yisrael and Degel HaTorah sources via Kan News, called for a convoy to depart from multiple locations between 16:00 and 20:00. Later that same day, organizers confirmed 80 departure points submitted for police approval, with the Gur Hasidic sect leading the effort. By Monday evening, the protest was confirmed by multiple sources, including the ultra-Orthodox daily Hamodia, with a start time of 16:00.
The protest follows weeks of escalating Haredi demonstrations over the draft. As The Zioneer reported on June 11, earlier protests saw demonstrators block major highways and halt train services across central Israel, hours after the Knesset advanced a bill to draft yeshiva students. On the same day, protests spread to multiple cities after the arrest of Haredi draft evaders at a military prison, with one incident involving a female driver brandishing a sharp object at protesters on Highway 6.
Police approval for all 80 departure points remains pending, and the specific route for Wednesday's convoy has not yet been confirmed. It is also unclear whether Degel HaTorah will formally join the protest.
6 developments
- StrongHaredi Lithuanian plan unprecedented protest convoy against draft for Wednesday
- DevelopingHaredi protests spread to multiple cities after draft dodger 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