An ultra-Orthodox (haredi) protester was dragged by a vehicle at the entrance to Jerusalem as hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the Chords Bridge on Thursday afternoon to protest the arrest of draft dodgers.
The protest, organized by the anti-IDF draft extremist haredi Jerusalem Faction (Peleg Yerushalmi), took place throughout central Israel and Jerusalem following the arrest of two haredi draft evaders earlier this week in Beersheba and Eilat.
In Jerusalem, the city's light rail operations were halted due to the protests. Police added that dozens of protesters had gathered on Bar-Ilan Street, disrupting traffic in the area. Footage shared on social media shows police officers attempting to forcibly drag protesters off the road near the entrance to the city.
Additionally, protesters in Jerusalem stopped a vehicle carrying a haredi soldier. The soldier was rescued by police officers on the scene using tear gas to repel the protesters. One person was arrested.
In central Israel, Israel Police closed Highway 4 to traffic. Earlier in the day, officers were deployed near the Bnei Brak Interchange and Geha Junction, at the entrance to Petah Tikva. Three additional protesters were arrested for assaulting officers on Highway 4, police said in an evening statement.
"Protest is a right; disturbing public order is not," said Police Commissioner Daniel Levy in an afternoon police statement.
Protesters also surrounded the building where an election campaign conference by the haredi Sephardi Shas party was being held in Modi'in Illit. Party chairman Arye Deri was present at the event, a Shas spokesperson confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
Shas to protesters: 'Do not allow the attorney-general and Kaplan money to sow division among us'
In response to the protesters attempting to breach the Shas event, the party's leadership told haredi protesters to channel their anger at Israel's attorney-general.
"The deliberate and painful arrests of yeshiva students at this time, and the chaos we are now witnessing on Israel's roads, are the work of the attorney-general, aimed at breaking up the right-wing bloc, turning public opinion against the ultra-Orthodox community, and causing some of its members to refrain from voting. This is blatant and unprecedented interference by the judicial system and elements within the Military Police in the election campaign," the party said in a statement.
"According to information in our possession, Kaplan protest activists are behind the funding of the demonstrations. They have been joined by extremist elements who are leading violent and life-threatening protests. These actions do not represent the ultra-Orthodox community, constitute a terrible desecration of God's name, and cause serious damage to efforts to regulate the status of those studying Torah."
"And to the ultra-Orthodox public, we say: Do not allow the attorney-general and Kaplan money to sow division among us. Do not let them win!"
In response to Shas's statement, the Committee to Save the Torah World said that its protesters remembered the way the party's leaders treated them when a haredi draft law was being drafted in the Knesset.
"Even then, when that Torah position was proclaimed loud and clear, the crocodile tears and fake displays of emotion emerged, accompanied by the same foolish and false accusation: that the Left and the Kaplan protest movement were behind the struggle," the committee said in a statement.
"Neither the Left nor Kaplan. It is the God-fearing community alone that is leading the struggle to save the Torah world, supported by effective organizations that genuinely care for the welfare and protection of Sephardi and Ashkenazi yeshiva students and kollel scholars — independently funded and free of political calculations.
"All for the sake of Heaven, and solely to save the Torah world from the harsh conscription decree."
The demonstrations lasted between two and three hours and caused severe traffic disruptions during rush hour. Police recommended that the public stay updated on road blockages and congestion and, where possible, travel via alternate routes.
"Right now, we are once again witnessing the approach favored and rewarded by the current Netanyahu government: 'We would rather die than enlist,'" Yashar Party head Gadi Eisenkot wrote in a Thursday X/Twitter post.
"Under this government, the lives of Israeli citizens who serve and work have turned into a succession of disasters, failures, and accidents. Their quality of life is treated as nothing more than a nuisance, sacrificed for the sake of political survival, while draft dodgers have become the ones calling the shots."
"This distinction between the value of different lives not only erodes Israeli society but also undermines our security," wrote Eisenkot.
"Yesterday, we marked the gravest failure and disaster in Israel’s history, occurring under this coalition, as well as the heroism of the sons and daughters who saved lives out of a sense of responsibility, love, and an unwavering commitment to defending our home."
"Instead of strengthening the IDF and heeding the Chief of Staff’s urgent pleas to support those entrusted with our security and our combat troops, this 'government of draft evasion' fosters chaos and disorder in the streets," he accused. "What is happening now is a preview of what Israel would look like under another term of such a coalition."
Ramat Gan concert expected to draw 17,000 people
A second major event is expected to worsen traffic congestion: a concert at Ramat Gan Stadium on Thursday evening.
The show, featuring Israeli artists Omer Adam, Odaya, Osher Cohen, Idan Raichel, Ben Zur, and Rita, is expected to draw approximately 17,000 spectators, adding significant vehicle and pedestrian traffic to roads leading to the stadium and surrounding area.
Police will have to manage both events simultaneously, assigning officers to maintain public order at the protest sites while also securing the concert and directing traffic around the stadium.
The main concern is that road blockages during the protests, should they occur, could also affect traffic heading toward Ramat Gan Stadium and cause widespread disruptions throughout the area.
Keshet Neev, Avi Solomon, Alon Hachmon, Hodaya Ran, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.