Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews traveled in convoys driving slowly along major Israeli highways on Wednesday evening to protest the arrest of yeshivah students who refused to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces.
The convoys made their way from dozens of locations around the country to Prison 10 (also known as Neve Tzedek Prison), a military detention facility near Kfar Yona in central Israel, where some of the arrested students are being held.
The protest was authorized by the Israel Police on the condition that drivers adhere to traffic speed limits.
Some protesters left their vehicles in the middle of the highway, blocking traffic while risking their own safety, outlet Walla News reported.
The convoys created traffic congestion in multiple areas, leading to a chain accident in the Sha’ar HaGai area on Highway 1 near Jerusalem, the report read.
A pregnant woman was moderately injured and had to wait for almost 30 minutes before first responders were able to reach her.
Israel Police Chief Superintendent Roi Amichai called the incident “unfortunate,” according to Walla. “This is exactly the result of people who allow themselves to take the law into their own hands and endanger the public on the roads. [The incident in which a pregnant] woman was moderately injured in the chain accident could have been avoided if everyone had observed the law,” he added.
Police blocked the access routes to Prison 10, compelling organizers to disperse the protest around 8:20 p.m., Ynet reported.
On Thursday, the Israel Police said two people were arrested overnight on suspicion of threatening several protesters on Highway 1 with firearms. Jerusalem District Police seized the weapon of one of the suspects, and requested an extension of his remand. The second suspect does not hold a weapons license and is currently under investigation, police added.
The demonstration, organized by activists affiliated with the Agudat Yisrael Party, is part of the ongoing Haredi opposition to enforcement of mandatory military service requirements for Haredi men, who for decades received exemptions. Although legislation addressing the issue has not yet been passed, tensions have continued to rise following a series of arrests of Haredi draft evaders.
In a statement, organizers said the goal of the protest was the “immediate release of all Torah scholars,” an end to arrests and the cancellation of what they described as “decrees against Torah scholars and their families,” referring to military enforcement measures.
Ayelet Hashachar Saidoff, founder and CEO of nonprofit Mothers on the Frontline, told Ynet on Thursday morning that a counter protest was scheduled to take place on Friday in the predominantly Haredi city of Bnei Brak in central Israel.
“We are going to block Bnei Brak on Friday. Blockades will be met with blockades. We will block there before Shabbat begins, we will disrupt the lives of these people,” she said.
Saidoff’s son is currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
