Jerusalem Faction plan to shut down Ben-Gurion Airport to protest haredi draft
El Al Israel Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel March 10, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/RONEN ZEVULUN)
The protest is in response to the continued arrest of ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men for dodging the draft and refusing to serve in the IDF.
Members of the Jerusalem Faction have allegedly planned a massive demonstration for the coming week near Ben-Gurion Airport aimed at shutting the airport down for several hours, according to social media posts seen by Israel Police.
The protest is in response to the continued arrest of ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men for dodging the draft and refusing to serve in the IDF.
If the protests managed to shut down the airport, it would cause major economic damage to the country as well as to the tens of thousands of people who visit the airport every day, especially during the busy summer season and ahead of the High Holy Days.
Terminal 1 (credit: YOSSI ALONI)
Sorting through fake posts
Police sources told Maariv that all messages and posts on social media are monitored by law enforcement. In addition, should the protest appear to be imminent, the police will deploy officers to stop it.
The police noted that some of the social media posts appeared to be fake and were only uploaded to stoke public furor and create discourse. However, other posts were genuine, so the police have sifted through the fake and real posts in order to respond accordingly.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
