Jerusalem streets seize up as masses make way to pro-government rally

Police are closing off streets in Jerusalem as thousands make their way toward the Knesset for a highly touted rally in support of the coalition.

Heavy traffic is reported all around the capital’s government quarter and the Cinema City mall, as well as much of Givat Ram and other areas adjacent to the Knesset.

Near Ammunition Hill, a group of IDF vets has begun a symbolic march to the protest site near the Knesset.

Organizers have predicted turnout as high as 500,000 for the so-called million-person march, but most estimates forecast fewer than 250,000, an impressive number, but short of the crowds anti-government protesters have claimed for their largest gatherings.

Adding to the expected chaos in the capital, a sinkhole has opened up on a street near Pat Junction in the southeast of the city.

Authorities say one lane and a sidewalk on Nicanor Street in the working-class Katamonim neighborhood have been closed off. The street is a fairly minor thoroughfare and unlikely to affect many attempting to reach the rally zone.