Ultra-Orthodox protesters disrupted traffic across Israel on Wednesday, with slow-moving convoys and road blockages opposing efforts to draft yeshiva students into the military, as police moved to keep demonstrators from reaching Military Prison 10 near Kfar Yona.
The demonstrations began in the afternoon from dozens of locations, including Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Ashdod, Elad, Arad, Netanya, Tiberias, Safed, Haifa, and other cities. Organizers sought to drive toward the prison, which has become a focal point for protests over detained ultra-Orthodox draft resisters.
Police said protesters left vehicles and entered traffic lanes on Highway 1 near the Harel Interchange, violating understandings reached with organizers. Heavy congestion was reported on major routes, including Highways 1, 4, 6, 20, 40, 443, 444, and 531. Reuters images showed ultra-Orthodox protesters on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway near Abu Ghosh, where convoys moved to block roads.
Several ultra-Orthodox lawmakers joined the protest, including United Torah Judaism MK Yitshak Goldknop and Shas MK Michael Malkieli. Goldknop told Kol Barama radio, “There will come a day when we turn the country upside down.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also became a focus of the demonstrations, as protesters criticized the police response to draft-related arrests. Some demonstrators carried signs calling Ben Gvir the “number 1 enemy of the Jews,” reflecting the depth of ultra-Orthodox anger toward his role in enforcing the draft policy.
Tensions rose in several locations. In Arad, secular residents and ultra-Orthodox protesters clashed, prompting police and Border Police to deploy. Arad Mayor Yair Maayan called on residents to “act with restraint and mutual respect, and to refrain from violent activity among residents.” Near Kiryat Ono, footage showed confrontations between protesters and motorists.
In Kfar Yona, police blocked vehicles from entering neighborhoods near Military Prison 10 after residents prepared counterdemonstrations. Kfar Yona Mayor Albert Taieb said, “After the destruction and damage in last week’s ultra-Orthodox protest, we will not allow anyone to enter.”
The draft dispute has intensified as Israel faces wartime manpower demands. Most Jewish Israelis are required to serve, while generations of full-time ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students received exemptions that are now under court and political pressure.
