Haredi protest convoys against the arrest of draft evaders set out on Wednesday afternoon, causing traffic disruptions across Israel, according to Israeli media reports. The convoys began departing after 16:00 from multiple locations, joining earlier demonstrations this month against military police arrests.
Haredi protest convoys against the arrest of draft evaders began departing from multiple locations across Israel shortly after 16:00 Wednesday, causing significant traffic slowdowns on major routes, Israeli media report. The convoys build on a wave of demonstrations this month, which have seen repeated blockades of highways and confrontations with police.
As The Zioneer has reported, the protests escalated in early June after police began arresting Haredi men who dodged military service. The demonstrations have included blockades of Highway 4 and Highway 6, a rare incident in which a driver brandished a sharp object toward protesters, and a mobilization in Ashdod that forced police to release a detainee. Wednesday's convoys appear to be a coordinated, vehicle-based protest designed to maximize traffic disruption.
It remains unclear how many protesters or vehicles are involved, and police have not yet issued a statement on the convoys or any planned countermeasures.
3 developments
- DevelopingMK Goldknopf: Government is arresting draft evaders 'who have done no wrong'
- StrongShas MKs, rabbi join Haredi protest rally outside military prison over draft-evader arrest
- DevelopingUTJ MK Meir Porush calls for police chief and officers involved to resign over protest dispersal
- DevelopingM.K. Porush urges PM to stop arresting Haredi draft evaders, citing lack of prison space
Source and signal
- Internal intake