Bnei Brak Municipality admits to blocking off neighborhood over Shabbat

The Bnei Brak Municipality admits it ordered dumpsters and other objects to block the entrance to a secular neighborhood on the outskirts of the predominantly ultra-Orthodox city.

The neighborhood, the municipality claims, “consists of Shabbat-observant residents, who wish to preserve the neighborhood’s character on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.”

Secular residents called the police, who arrived at the scene but indicated to residents that it would be difficult to remove the roadblock due to the “complex situation,” Channel 12 news reported yesterday, suggesting that law enforcement sided with the Haredi extremists.

Army Radio, however, cited police as saying they were dealing with the roadblocks, while Haaretz reported that after several hours, a police volunteer cleared the dumpsters, though other barricades remained in place.