Organizers of the Haredi protest movement said Wednesday morning that if police disrupt the planned vehicle convoys, they will block roads across the country. The statement comes ahead of a mass convoy protest against arrests of draft evaders, scheduled for later today.
Haredi protest organizers escalated their threat Wednesday morning, saying they will block roads nationwide if police disrupt the mass vehicle convoy planned for later today. The statement circulated on internal protest channels warned, 'If [police] interfere with the convoys — we will block roads.' The warning, issued after the protest movement had already announced the convoy earlier this week, marks the first explicit threat of counter-blockades in response to potential police action.
As The Zioneer has reported since Monday evening (22 Jun, 00:52 Jerusalem), the protest has been planned in stages: first reported by Kan News and Degel HaTorah sources as a Gur Hasidic-led convoy, then joined by Agudat Yisrael which submitted 80 departure points for police approval, and later consolidated by the Edah HaCharedit's decision to participate on Tuesday (22 Jun, 00:52 Jerusalem). By Tuesday evening, the Edah HaCharedit and allied groups announced over 1,500 vehicles would drive slowly on 19 major routes toward Military Prison 10. Rabbi David Maya of Shas called participation a 'mitzvah.' Across the thread, reporting evolved from a single source to multiple newsroom confirmations — with Hamodia, Kan News, and organizers' announcements all corroborating the event by Monday night.
This convoy threat comes within a broader wave of Haredi protests against the arrest of draft evaders. As The Zioneer has reported, over the past two weeks protesters have blocked highways, halted train services across central Israel, and clashed with drivers and police. In one incident on Highway 4, drivers attacked demonstrators after a blockade dragged into its second hour. Police have previously declared such protests illegal and forcibly dispersed crowds.
The morning threat leaves open whether police will attempt to disrupt the convoys, how aggressively they might do so, and whether organizers will follow through on their road-blockage promise. The exact scale of police deployment and the organizers' capacity to execute coordinated counter-blockades remain unconfirmed.
10 developments
- StrongHaredi protest convoys cause massive traffic jams, road closures nationwide
- DevelopingPolice declare Haredi protest illegal, move to disperse rioters
- DevelopingHaredi protesters try to block extradition of draft evaders to military police in Jerusalem
- DevelopingHaredi activists block Highway 4 in Ashdod, force police to release draft deserter
Source and signal
- Internal intake