Police have been stationed outside the home of Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit in Mevaseret Zion, anticipating a repeat of recent disturbances. Simultaneously, ultra-Orthodox protesters are blocking Highway 6 and other central roadways; police are deploying stun grenades in attempts to clear them, according to reports.
At 18:41, ultra-Orthodox protesters are actively blocking Highway 6 and other central roadways, with police deploying stun grenades to clear them, as reported in the latest developments. This follows a prior police deployment outside Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit's home in Mevaseret Zion at 17:41, which was itself preceded by an initial deployment reported at 17:35. The protests are against the arrest of suspects involved in the June 5 disturbance at Justice Noam Sohlberg's home, as The Zioneer reported at 14:21 on June 7 concerning 52 detainees, and at 18:15 and 18:34 regarding the current wave.
Earlier reports at 12:52 detailed police preparations for possible rail blockades amid a mass Haredi protest and large concerts. By 18:15, protests had paralyzed major arteries including routes 4 and 1, the Ayalon Highway, and rail service, with a truck driver attacked. The 18:34 report confirmed confrontations and police use of force on Highway 6, corroborating the current update. The deployment at Justice Amit's home, reported by Israeli journalist Shlomi Heller at 17:35 and again at 17:41, was explicitly tied to lessons from the security failure at Justice Sohlberg's home, where rioters entered the property.
Background items, as The Zioneer reported, include a June 7 blockade of the Jerusalem light rail over the same arrests, and retired Chief Justice Esther Hayut's June 5 condemnation of the extremist riot as an attack on democratic principles. The protests unfold amid broader tensions over judicial authority and ultra-Orthodox conscription.
What remains open: exact numbers of protesters or arrests during the ongoing blockades have not yet been confirmed. The full extent of railway disruption and any injuries among protesters or police also remains unverified.
2 developments
- DevelopingJustice Hayut warns of extremist threat; protests at NYT; Gaza strike, Jenin arrests round out day
- DevelopingUltra-Orthodox protesters block Jerusalem light rail over arrests of suspects in judge's home disturbance
- Developing52 Detained in Riots Outside Supreme Court Deputy President's Home; Terror Attack in Sharon Foiled
- StrongHaredi protesters block highways, halt trains across central Israel
Source and signal
- Internal intake