Highway 4 near Bnei Brak is set to reopen after Haredi protesters began complying with a police dispersal order, according to Israeli media reports. Officers directed traffic away during the morning protest.
Highway 4 near Bnei Brak is expected to reopen shortly as Haredi protesters begin dispersing Wednesday morning, following a police dispersal order and calls from protest organizers. The road had been blocked since around 08:29 Jerusalem, when the first protests were reported. Police declared the gathering illegal at that time; officers rerouted traffic to alternate routes. The dispersal comes as the protest wave, focused on draft-related arrests, continues across multiple routes.
At 08:29 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that dozens of Ratzefnikim activists had blocked the Coca-Cola Junction on Highway 4, protesting the arrest of a Haredi draft deserter sentenced to 14 days in military prison. Minutes later, an updated report indicated one demonstrator had been arrested for public order violations at the Geha Interchange. By 08:29, police had declared the gathering illegal and blockaded both directions; officers called on protesters to disperse, with some drivers confronting demonstrators during the blockade.
As The Zioneer reported on 11 June, a similar protest on Highway 4 escalated when drivers attacked Haredi demonstrators and a grenade was thrown toward protesters. On the same day, all highways reopened after about two hours of disruption following rabbinic instructions to disperse. The current protest unfolds amid an ongoing wave of demonstrations against the arrest of draft evaders that has included multiple road blockades across the country.
The exact number of remaining protesters and the timeline for full reopening remain unconfirmed. No reports have yet described police use of force — such as water cannon or stun grenades — which were deployed in similar protests on 11 June.
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