Hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Protest Jerusalem Light Rail Route, 25 Arrested

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Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Protest Jerusalem Light Rail Route, 25 Arrested

HAARETZ | 3 MONTHS AGO | 1 MINUTE, 30 SECONDS READ

Hundreds of members of the so-called Jerusalem faction and ultra-Orthodox factions protested Monday night in Jerusalem against light rail construction on Bar Ilan Street, which borders religious neighborhoods, arguing that it would harm the ultra-Orthodox character of the area.

For hours, beginning from approximately 7 P.M., demonstrators blocked Bar Ilan Street, a main arterial road that borders religious neighborhoods, broke through city fences, and set fires to trashcans and engineering tools used in the construction of the light rail. Police said 25 protesters were arrested, noting that one of them had been in possession of a pocketknife, a baton and pepper spray.

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A protester is arrested at a demonstration against light rail construction in Jerusalem, December 7, 2020. Credit: Emil Salman

The Green Line, Jerusalem's second light rail line, is part of a master public transportation plan currently being implemented throughout the capital. It will run from the Mount Scopus campus of Hebrew University in northern Jerusalem, and end in Gilo, a neighborhood in the city's south. Part of the route is slated to operate on Bar Ilan Street and pass by several ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods - Ramat Eshkol, Geula, City Center and Givat Mordechai - and this is what extremist ultra-Orthodox members among the ultra-Orthodox communities and the Jerusalem faction oppose.

In the run up to Monday evening, pashkevils, or posters placed on public walls within Haredi communities, implored people to join a rally to "clearly and unequivocally declare that the light rail will not pass through the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods no matter what. Ultra-Orthodox Judaism will in no way accept the destruction of its neighborhoods, and the ultra-Orthodox of Jerusalem will all stand firmly ... and will not rest until the complete abolition of the horrific decree."

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A demonstration against light rail construction in Jerusalem, December 7, 2020. Credit: Emil Salman

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INFORMATION BOX

JerusalemJerusalem is a city in the Middle East, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions— Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. [Wikipedia]

IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh- largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world. [Wikipedia]

GeulaGeula is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, populated mainly by Haredi Jews. Geula is bordered by Zikhron Moshe and Mekor Baruch on the west, the Bukharim neighborhood on the north, Mea Shearim on the east and the Jerusalem city center on the south. [Wikipedia]

Givat MordechaiGivat Mordechai, is a Jewish neighborhood in southwest-central Jerusalem, midway between the neighborhoods of Nayot and Malcha. The neighborhood was named after an American philanthropist, Maxwell Abbell of Chicago. [Wikipedia]

Hofstra UniversityHofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. Long Island 's largest private university, Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New York University at Hempstead, Long Island . [Wikipedia]

Mount ScopusMount Scopus is a mountain in northeast Jerusalem. Between the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the Six-Day War in 1967, Mount Scopus was a UN-protected Israeli exclave within Jordanian-administered territory. [Wikipedia]

Ramat EshkolRamat Eshkol is an Israeli settlement and neighborhood in East Jerusalem. It was built on land captured from Jordan in the Six-Day War and was the first neighborhood built in East Jerusalem after the Six-Day War in 1967. [Wikipedia]

ItalyItaly, officially the Italian Republic, is a country consisting of a continental part, delimited by the Alps, a peninsula and several islands surrounding it. Italy is located in Southern Europe, and is also considered part of Western Europe. [Wikipedia]

New York City CenterNew York City Center is a 2,257-seat Moorish Revival theater at 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, one block south of Carnegie Hall. [Wikipedia]