Hundreds face off with police, refuse to evacuate

Hundreds of worshipers face off with police, demand entrance to a holy site and refuse to comply with evacuation orders in Meron.

Police are not enforcing the evacuation in the face of the crowds, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The crowd opposing the police is gathered only meters from the scene of the deadly stampede, the report says.

Congregants harass journalists on the scene and refuse to answer questions about the evacuation.

One passerby dismisses the tragedy, saying, “It doesn’t matter.”

“They blocking us for no reason. I want to pray. Look what they’re doing to Jews,” he says.

Footage from the scene shows ultra-Orthodox men dancing and singing after the sun comes up on Friday morning.

Tens of thousands of others comply with the evacuation orders and stream away from the site to lines of waiting buses.

Channel 13 reports a shortage of transportation, forcing some people to remain on the scene.