Haredi anti-draft protesters shut down traffic at entrance to Jerusalem

Buses and cars have come to a complete standstill at the entrance to Jerusalem as hundreds of Haredi demonstrators block traffic under the Chords Bridge.

The protest, organized by the radical ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem Faction, is one of many taking place across the country this evening in protest of the arrest of three Haredi draft dodgers yesterday.

Bus drivers stand outside their vehicles as protesters sit on the road holding signs against IDF conscription for Haredi yeshiva students and chant, “We will die rather than enlist.”

A bus driver tells The Times of Israel that he has been waiting for over an hour for the demonstration to end.

Police are huddling on one of the traffic islands and decline to enter the crowd or attempt to disperse the protesters. No known arrests have been made so far.

In a statement, police say that officers declared the demonstration illegal but were met with violence from the protesters, who reportedly threw bottles at cops and refused to heed their orders.

One protester tells The Times of Israel that the protest was sparked by yesterday’s arrests, but is also meant to “demonstrate power” amid growing calls to draft Haredim.