1 arrested for arson as Haredi extremists riot against Jerusalem Light Rail construction

Haredi extremists are rioting and vandalizing part of the under-construction Jerusalem Light Rail line in the capital.

According to police, at least one person has been arrested for arson after setting part of the construction site on fire along Bar-Ilan Street, adjacent to the ultra-Orthodox Mea She’arim neighborhood.

הפגנת חרדים המונית ואלימה ברחוב בר אילן בירושלים נגד עבודות הרכבת הקלה; המשטרה: "מפרי הסדר משליכים חפצים, מבעירים פחים ופוגעים בשגרת החיים במקום"@VeredPelman @daniel_grovais pic.twitter.com/mcBKgjJDuO

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 27, 2026

Police say officers are working to disperse the rioters and restore order in the area.

Earlier, police said that members of the crowd were throwing objects, lighting trash cans on fire and trying to shut down traffic in the area in protest of the Jerusalem Light Rail construction.

The construction of the public transit line has drawn protests for years from Haredi extremists, who don’t want the train to cut through their insular neighborhood. They have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and set the project back by years.