Traffic mayhem expected Thursday as police to block Jerusalem entrance for mass Haredi anti-draft rally

A planned massive “million man” Haredi prayer rally against IDF conscription slated for Thursday is expected to block the main entrance to Jerusalem for hours and cause major congestion in the capital, police say.

Only buses carrying rally participants will be allowed to enter Jerusalem via Route 1 starting at 12 p.m. on the day of the 2:30 p.m. demonstration, until it concludes. During that time, Route 1 — the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv artery — will be closed to private vehicles in both directions between the entrance to Jerusalem and Latrun Interchange.

Drivers will be able to exit the city via Route 443, according to a police statement. Public buses running between Jerusalem and other cities will leave the capital via Route 16, which joins Route 1.

Police say hundreds of officers will deploy at Jerusalem’s northern entrance and the city center to secure the event, which was announced by ultra-Orthodox leaders earlier this week as the IDF ramps up its arrests of Haredi draft evaders.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev told Radio Kol Hai last night that public transportation will be increased in order to allow demonstrators to arrive.

“We will act as we do at all major events. As soon as we identify congestion at specific points, we will increase public transportation there. Israel Railways will increase train service to Jerusalem, and so will the bus operators,” said the Likud minister. She also expressed support for conscripting Haredim who do not study in yeshiva.

Regev’s statement is at odds with what she told Ynet in 2023, when she said that her ministry was “not a transportation company for demonstrations,” referring to anti-government protests.

Both Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and MK Avichai Boaron of the ruling party have said that they support the demonstration and are considering taking part. Fellow Likud MK Osher Shekalim told Ynet that he identifies with the protesters.

In a statement, former communications minister Yoaz Hendel’s brand-new The Reservists party slams Regev and schedules a counter-demonstration in Jerusalem on Thursday.

“A government that encourages evasion and now shamelessly cooperates with the evasion rally on Thursday is a government that acts against the State of Israel,” the party says. “Miri Regev, who did not concern herself with a solution for reservists to reach their bases, is worried about increasing transportation for the evasion rally.”

Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar writes to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing Regev of “abusing her authority” and acting in a discriminatory fashion by increasing transportation for some protests but not for others. Elharrar calls on Baharav-Miara to “urgently examine the legality of the decision.”