Dozens of chareidi protesters blocked Highway 1 near Sha’ar Hagai overnight into Friday, protesting the arrest of a yeshiva bochur who had been classified as a draft evader. The demonstration caused significant traffic congestion before police dispersed the protesters using stun grenades and reopened the roadway.

The protest was sparked by the arrest of Nesanel Amsili, a talmid at Yeshivas Derech Hashem, who was detained by military police. The highway remained clogged with traffic for an extended period as demonstrators blocked the road.

Clashes broke out at the scene between motorists and protesters. Some drivers confronted the demonstrators and attempted to clear a path through the massive traffic backup that had formed.

After approximately an hour of roadblocks and disturbances, large police forces arrived and moved to break up the protest. Officers used stun grenades to disperse the crowd, after which traffic resumed on the highway.

The demonstration comes amid ongoing tensions surrounding the arrest of yeshiva students over military draft issues. Protest organizers argue that yeshiva bochurim have been subjected to increasing enforcement efforts by legal authorities, the military, and police.

Earlier this week, extremist protesters demonstrated outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg in the community of Alon Shvut, protesting the enlistment of yeshiva students. Police detained approximately 60 suspects during that demonstration.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu condemned the protest outside Justice Sohlberg’s home, calling for strict enforcement against those involved.

“Law enforcement authorities must exhaust the full severity of the law against the rioters,” Netanyahu wrote.