Ultra-Orthodox protesters are clashing with police near the western entrance to Jerusalem after an extremist group blocked streets and the light rail to demonstrate against the arrest of a draft dodger.
Protesters are also blocking the Route 4 highway near Bnei Brak, snarling traffic near Tel Aviv just as rush hour peaks.
Jerusalem police declare the protest a public disturbance and are attempting to drag demonstrators off the road.
The protest was called by the Jerusalem Faction, an extremist Haredi group that regularly holds protests, usually around the issue of the mandatory military draft.
In Jerusalem, some protesters crawl under a mobile water cannon to stop it from moving, footage shows. Others hold signs reading “we’d rather die than be drafted,” or “war on the draft,” Channel 12 news reports.
Outside of Tel Aviv, protesters block the highway as well as trains between the Em Hamoshevot and Geha junctions.
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