From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Haredi protest organizers say motorist attacked demonstrator with a knife
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Organizers of today’s anti-conscription demonstration claim that a truck driver attacked a participant’s car with a knife as he took part in a convoy from the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak.
“An incited truck driver got out of his vehicle in the middle of the Ayalon Highway and charged toward one of the protest convoy vehicles coming out of Bnei Brak, armed with a knife and sticks,” organizers say in a statement shared without any corroborating footage.
“The attacker did not stop at threats; he began brutally striking the vehicle and smashing violently on the windows in front of the terrified passengers, who felt immediate danger but exercised restraint in accordance with instructions,” the statement adds.
A spokesman for the protest tells The Times of Israel that those involved “didn’t have time to document [the incident] clearly.”
Videos of several incidents of violence or aggression toward protesters have been posted online, including one clip showing one man running up to and shoving a protester, leading to a fistfight on the side of the highway.
מדינת ישראל, מלחמת האזרחים שלך בדלת. pic.twitter.com/x8UJk9I4bH
— חרדים אקספרס (@haredimex) June 24, 2026
Separately, police say that officers “are currently operating in the city of Arad, following a report received about a brawl near a residential complex in the city.”
It says police and border police forces “rushed to the scene” and were “working to restore public order and prevent further acts of violence.”
תיעוד: עימותים אלימים בהפגנות החרדים בערד; גורם בחסידות גור אומר לנו: "אם צריך נשלח כוחות משלנו להגן על עצמנו – התירו את דמנו"@GLZRadio pic.twitter.com/ormPKtCsWU
— מרדכי הלפרין (@MHlpryn) June 24, 2026
United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush, meanwhile, blames Deputy Supreme Court Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Police Commissioner Danny Levy for making “the Haredi public fair game.”
“We are following the reports regarding the assault on the protest participants with deep concern, and we call upon the police to act firmly against anybody who uses violence against the Haredi public,” says Porush.
The Times of Israel Community.