Hundreds of Haredi protesters block traffic near the entrance to Jerusalem under the Chords Bridge, police say.
Footage from the protest shows ultra-Orthodox demonstrators sitting on the road, staring down buses trying to enter the capital while holding signs against IDF conscription. Police are working to restore order to the area and redirect traffic to alternative routes, law enforcement says.
Demonstrators near Bnei Brak are also blocking Route 4, adjacent to the ultra-Orthodox city. Police have declared the protest unlawful and are working to disperse the participants.
Additional protests are expected today in Modiin and Beit Shemesh, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
The protests are held in wake of the arrest of three Haredi draft dodgers who were interrogated by military police yesterday morning for avoiding conscription. The three were detained after infiltrating a construction site in Yehud, as part of a protest against a residential building plan that Haredi protesters allege is built on an ancient Jewish graveyard.
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