Tensions flared Monday night in Ramat Beit Shemesh as dozens of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the filing of an indictment against a local resident accused of participating in the break-in at the city’s police station several weeks ago.

The protest, held on Nahar HaYarden Street, quickly escalated into a chaotic confrontation. Demonstrators reportedly hurled barricades, set fires in the roadway, and damaged a police vehicle as clashes intensified.

According to police, protesters threw rocks and various objects at officers, caused significant damage to public infrastructure, and ignited multiple fires. Law enforcement officials described the participants as “unrestrained” and said a police vehicle sustained substantial damage during the unrest. Large numbers of officers were deployed to the scene in an effort to restore order.

The demonstration came just hours after state prosecutors filed an indictment against a 46-year-old Beit Shemesh resident in connection with violent disturbances that erupted near the city’s police station during protests over the arrest of a yeshiva student accused of draft evasion.

As previously reported by Matzav.com, prosecutors are seeking to keep the suspect, identified as Friedman, behind bars until the conclusion of legal proceedings.

According to the indictment, filed in the Yerushalayim District Court by attorney Shirel Eldar of the Yerushalayim District Attorney’s Office, calls were circulated urging people to gather near the Beit Shemesh police station following the arrest of the yeshiva student.

The charging document alleges that hundreds of protesters assembled at the site and that the demonstration eventually devolved into a violent riot. During the disturbance, the station’s gate was breached, police officers were assaulted, rocks and other objects were thrown, property was damaged, and fires were set around the station complex.

Prosecutors allege that Friedman personally ignited vegetation near the police station fence on three separate occasions during the unrest. According to the indictment, the fires were set at different locations and at different times throughout the evening. Each blaze burned for several seconds before extinguishing.

The investigation was conducted by the Beit Shemesh police station under the Jerusalem District Police. Friedman has been charged with three counts of arson and one count of participating in a riot.

The latest indictment follows a broader police operation carried out approximately two weeks ago, when Yerushalayim District officers raided the homes of three suspects allegedly involved in the violent disturbances and the breach of the Beit Shemesh police station compound. Detectives from the Beit Shemesh station, together with officers from the Metpa special unit, arrested the suspects—residents of Beit Shemesh ages 26, 46, and 56—for questioning.

Monday night’s renewed unrest underscored the continuing tensions surrounding the arrests of yeshiva students and the increasingly volatile protests that have accompanied them in recent weeks.

{Matzav.com}