Hundreds of Haredi protesters rioted early Thursday morning after police issued a routine traffic ticket to a soldier who deserted his unit, Israeli media report. Video footage shows an officer pleading for his life as the crowd surrounded him. Police have not yet issued a statement.
Video footage that surfaced shortly after the riot shows a police officer surrounded by the crowd and heard pleading for his life, according to Israeli media reports. The development follows escalating confrontations at the Maccabim checkpoint on Highway 443 that began at about 02:03 Jerusalem time early Thursday. What started as a routine traffic stop — a driver from Modi'in Illit was issued a ticket for driving without a valid vehicle inspection — drew hundreds of Haredi protesters after the extremist 'Black Alert' mobilization system was activated to prevent the arrest of a draft evader, as The Zioneer reported in its first dispatch at 02:03 Jerusalem. The unrest quickly turned violent: the crowd damaged a police car, slashed its tires, and later clashed with officers and IDF troops deployed to restore order. The driver was released after receiving only a traffic fine.
Over successive updates between 02:03 and 09:44 Jerusalem, The Zioneer tracked the sequence. Initial reports at 02:03 described property damage and a police response involving both officers and military forces. Within minutes, journalists on the scene reported that the protest was triggered by activation of the 'Black Alert' system — a channel used by extremist Haredi groups to summon activists to block arrests of draft evaders. Footage later showed a police officer apologizing to protesters, who responded: 'You wanted to give a ticket — you'll get anarchy.' By 09:44 Jerusalem, police confirmed the crowd damaged a patrol car and slashed tires, and both police and IDF troops were on site. The latest video, circulating Thursday morning, shows an officer pleading for his life, marking a new level of intensity.
The Maccabim incident is the latest in a series of Haredi protests this month, as The Zioneer previously reported. On June 6, hundreds of Haredi rioters attempted to break into a Beit Shemesh police station and attacked officers, though initial reports were not independently verified. On June 11, protests spread to multiple cities including Highway 6 and Highway 4, where violent confrontations broke out between protesters and drivers. On June 12, hundreds of protesters converged on Ashdod after mass mobilization alerts, only for local news site Haredim Ashdod to report that the draft deserter at the center of the incident was not Haredi. Exclusive footage from the Beit Shemesh attack, published on June 12, showed rioters setting fires and trying to assault officers.
It remains unconfirmed whether the officer who pleaded for his life sustained any injury; police have not issued a formal statement on the video. The identity of the driver and his connection to the Haredi community have not been disclosed. No official police statement has been released addressing the broader pattern of protests.
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