Haredi Protests Disrupt Tel Aviv Traffic Over Draft Arrest

Major traffic jams and significant disruptions hit the greater Tel Aviv area Wednesday afternoon as haredi demonstrators resumed protests against the arrest of yeshiva students and military conscription. Large police forces from the Dan District deployed throughout the area to maintain public order and direct traffic flow.

Protesters began blocking Route 4 near the entrance to Bnei Brak and the Geha Junction. Police established a presence at the scene with riot control units and additional resources. Earlier, police had warned of potential traffic disruptions on Route 4 in both directions between the Aluf Sadeh and Em HaMoshavot interchanges.

Police also cautioned about heavy traffic congestion and possible additional blockages along Jabotinsky Street, the main artery connecting Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, and Ramat Gan.

Authorities urged drivers to avoid these areas when possible and seek alternative routes, while emphasizing that although the right to protest would be protected, disruption of freedom of movement or behavior endangering public safety would not be tolerated.

The current wave of protests comes after approximately five weeks of relative quiet, during which no large-scale demonstrations took place over arrests of draft evaders. The renewed demonstrations are led by students of Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, who called for taking to the streets following the arrest of a young haredi man and his transfer to military prison.

According to protest organizers, the young man had come to the Lahav 433 police unit station solely to provide testimony, but upon arrival was immediately arrested and transferred to military authorities. Protesters claim this constitutes a serious violation of previous commitments by the police commissioner that draft evaders coming to police stations for civilian matters or to give testimony would not be arrested for their draft evasion.

Knesset member Moshe Abutbul sent a strongly worded letter to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: "This is crossing a red line and a serious breach of the commissioner's commitment to the haredi public. This is not how trust is built—this is how it is destroyed. It's possible the directives were not properly clarified in the field, and immediate procedural clarification is needed to allow Torah students to file complaints and provide testimony at police stations without fear."

Lahav 443 (Photo: Yossi Aloni / Flash90)

Police, however, firmly reject the protesters' claims and clarify the background that led to the arrest. According to a police statement, the young haredi man was not summoned to provide 'innocent' testimony as claimed, but was officially summoned as a suspect in a criminal case involving forged licenses.

Police emphasize that under these circumstances, where there is suspicion of serious criminal offenses, the general understandings regarding draft evaders do not apply, and the arrest was conducted lawfully. The individual in question is Moshe Steiner, 21, from Bnei Brak, a relative of the head of Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel. He was summoned for questioning under caution at Lahav 433 on suspicion of involvement in a fraudulent driver's license scheme.

News of the arrest and the young man's transfer to military prison sparked considerable anger among militant factions within the sector, leading to rapid calls to mobilize the public to protest sites. Drivers in the central region encountered sudden blockages even before protesters themselves arrived, as police chose to employ a tactic of preemptively blocking major traffic arteries to prevent demonstrators from dangerously entering highways.

Protesting against the draft (Photo: Yehuda G, Kikar Hashabbat)

These disruptions are expected to continue affecting traffic throughout the Bnei Brak area and surroundings in the coming hours, with security forces preparing for the possibility of escalation and expansion of demonstrations to additional sites.

Past experience shows that the main focal points tend to be Route 4 or Jabotinsky Street, but police are also preparing for the scenario of sudden alternative locations, after protesters in previous instances succeeded in surprising law enforcement and blocking major routes at locations not announced in advance.