Hundreds of Haredi protesters converged on the Maccabim checkpoint on Highway 443 early Thursday after a yeshiva student was issued a traffic ticket for driving without a valid test. Police say the crowd damaged a patrol car and slashed tires. Officers and IDF troops were deployed to restore order. The driver received only a traffic fine and was released.
Hundreds of Haredi protesters descended on the Maccabim checkpoint on Highway 443 overnight Wednesday-Thursday after a routine traffic stop escalated into a large-scale disturbance.
According to the police statement issued shortly after the incident, officers from the Modi'in Illit station stopped a vehicle that aroused their suspicion near the crossing. The driver, a resident of Modi'in Illit in his 20s, was found to have been driving a vehicle that had not passed its annual test for over a year. He was issued a traffic ticket and released. Following this, hundreds of protesters arrived at the crossing and began disrupting order, damaging a police patrol car and slashing its tires. Police and IDF forces are operating at the scene to restore order.
Israeli media (i24NEWS, N12) reported that the driver was a yeshiva student, and that the crowd was mobilized via the 'Black Alert' system — a network used to call activists to prevent arrests of draft evaders. However, the police statement and multiple news sources emphasize that the incident was a traffic enforcement matter, and no arrest was attempted.
The Zioneer previously reported a similar incident at the same crossing in which Haredi protesters blocked the checkpoint over a traffic ticket to a yeshiva student. Tonight's event marks a further escalation with property damage and a police deployment.
8 developments
- StrongHundreds of Haredim block police in Ashdod to prevent arrest of draft deserter — who is not Haredi
- DevelopingPolice declare Haredi protest illegal, move to disperse rioters
- StrongHaredim block Jerusalem road in protest over draft dodger arrest report
- DevelopingHaredi protests spread to multiple cities after draft dodger arrests
Source and signal
- Internal intake