A convoy of over 2,000 vehicles began departing from 19 locations across Israel this morning, heading toward Military Prison 10, where Haredi draft dodgers are held. The vehicles are traveling at a steady 50 km/h — a tactic designed to create major traffic disruptions, according to Israeli media reports.
This morning, a massive convoy of over 2,000 vehicles from 19 locations across Israel began heading toward Military Prison 10, where Haredi draft dodgers are held, in a slow-drive protest designed to cause major traffic disruptions. The action escalates a protest campaign that has been building for weeks. As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday June 23 at 21:32 Jerusalem, organizers had already announced plans for a convoy from 19 cities toward Prison 10 at Beit Lid, aiming to create gridlock. That same evening, a subsequent report noted a Gur Hasidic-led slow-protest convoy of up to 2,500 vehicles had been planned; today's convoy marks the execution of that plan.
The thread of protests has evolved from earlier, more localized actions: on June 7, 52 people were detained during riots outside the home of Supreme Court Deputy President Justice Solberg, as The Zioneer reported at 14:21 Jerusalem. By June 11, protests had spread to multiple cities, with police deploying outside the home of Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit amid highway and railway blockades, reported at 18:41 Jerusalem. On June 12, hundreds of protesters confronted police in Ashdod to block an arrest. The tactic of slow-moving car convoys, distinct from previous physical blockades by yeshiva students, was first flagged by commentator Shalom Yerushalmi on June 23 at 21:32 Jerusalem.
As The Zioneer has reported throughout June, the protests are part of a sustained campaign against the state's enforcement of the draft law on the ultra-Orthodox community, with tensions escalating following arrests of draft evaders. A background advisory from June 23 at 22:26 Jerusalem noted that residents were advised to stay home Wednesday afternoon amid the planned slow-protest convoy.
Authorities have not yet issued a statement on expected traffic disruptions or enforcement measures, and it remains unclear how police will respond to the convoy's attempt to create gridlock.
9 developments
- StrongHaredi protest organizers say they will block roads if convoys are disrupted
- StrongMajor traffic disruptions expected in 19 cities as anti-government protests resume
- StrongHaredi protesters block highways, halt trains across central Israel
- DevelopingHaredi protests spread to multiple cities after draft dodger arrests
Source and signal
- Internal intake