Despite the early notice: the police did not prepare for the Haredi protests

The police knew already yesterday about the expected Haredi protests against the arrest of draft evaders, but did not prepare accordingly. Road 4 was blocked in both directions, the light rail in Jerusalem was shut down, and harsh clashes broke out. Only after the chaos began was a notice published in the name of Commissioner Danny Levi ordering preparations with determination.

The police knew already yesterday (Wednesday) about the expected Haredi protests against the arrest of draft evaders, but did not prepare accordingly. Road 4 near Bnei Brak was blocked to traffic in both directions, harsh clashes broke out between police officers and protesters, and the light rail in Jerusalem was shut down. Only after the chaos began did the police publish a notice in the name of the Commissioner, R.-N. Danny Levi, ordering commanders "to prepare accordingly and act with determination to prevent disturbances of the peace." In Jerusalem a driver was documented accelerating toward a group of protesters and hitting a Haredi youth who was lightly wounded, and afterward a truck was also documented accelerating toward the demonstrators. The police threatened that any protest that turns into a disturbance of the peace would be dispersed, and that they would act with "zero tolerance." The article criticizes the police's lack of early preparation, and presents the Commissioner's late notice as an attempt to take control of a loss of control that could have been prevented.