Massacre on Highway 4 due to ultra-Orthodox protest, police used stun grenades

Ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked Highway 4 and railway tracks near Petah Tikva after the arrest of draft dodger Alon Smadja. Police used stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators. Protesters held signs with slogans against conscription.

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked the Gea junction on Highway 4 and railway tracks near Petah Tikva in protest against the arrest of draft dodger Alon Smadja. Police declared the protest illegal and used stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators. Protesters held signs reading: "Better to die Haredi than to live secular," "We will die but not be drafted," and "Israel is an antisemitic country." Smadja, a resident of Jerusalem, was arrested by military police who tricked him into leaving his home by calling and asking him to come down for a package. Most of the protesters are students of Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, part of the radical "Jerusalem faction." Friedman had previously called on his followers to boycott Knesset elections. The headline uses the word "Massacre," which does not match the scale of the described events.