In Wedding Clothes: Brides and Grooms Stranded as Massive Draft Protests Sparks Chaos Across Israel
Thousands took to major intersections across Israel to protest the arrest of yeshiva students. While police deployed stun grenades and mounted units, heartbreaking scenes emerged of brides, grooms, and families weeping and begging demonstrators to let them pass to their weddings.
Unprecedented chaos gripped Israel last night as thousands of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators took to the streets, shutting down major traffic arteries and sparking intense, violent clashes with law enforcement.
The widespread unrest was triggered by the recent arrest of several yeshiva students designated as draft deserters for refusing to report to military induction centers, acting on the instructions of leading rabbinical authorities.
Severe Clashes Shut Down Major Highways
The protests paralyzed several critical junctions across the country, primarily at the main entrance to Jerusalem near the Chords Bridge, the Begin Expressway in the capital, and the Ganot Interchange in central Israel.
Reinforced police units deployed heavy-handed tactics and a wide array of riot control measures to clear the gridlock. The situation rapidly deteriorated as officers used water cannons, mounted units, batons, and stun grenades that echoed through the streets. Outspoken protests also erupted outside the private homes of senior police commanders.
The tension turned tragic on Highway 4 in central Israel when a 20-year-old protester was struck and seriously injured by a motorcycle amid the chaos near the Ganot Interchange. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital after providing life-saving treatment on the scene. Another demonstrator suffered moderate injuries during police efforts to clear the Ganot Bridge.
But alongside the violent street battles, a series of heartbreaking scenes unfolded. Dozens of brides, grooms, and their families, dressed in their finest wedding attire, found themselves trapped for hours in the massive gridlock.
Left completely helpless, desperate family members were seen getting out of their cars, weeping bitterly as they begged the demonstrators to just let them pass so they could make it to their own chupahs (wedding canopies). Despite their tears, some protesters refused to budge, leaving the stranded families completely blocked.