Police, road blockers face off
Anti-pullout protesters burn tires in Jerusalem; police officers foil plan to block Coastal Road
TEL AVIV - As expected, anti-pullout activists are attempting to disrupt traffic across the country Monday, as the police are deployed in full force in a bid to thwart road-blocking attempts.
Monday morning, police officers found about 50 tires by the Coastal Road near the town of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv. The tires were discovered after the police received a report about tires piled up near a bus station.
No suspects were detained in connection with the affair at this time.
Officers were promptly dispatched to the scene, recovered the tires, and remove them from the site. The police say they have boosted patrols in the area after the major highway, which connects Tel Aviv and Haifa, was blocked by right-wing activists about two months ago.
Boy detained
Meanwhile, a 14-year-old yeshiva student was arrested on suspicion of planning to block thoroughfares by burning tires. The police were called in after residents noticed youngsters carrying tires early Monday. Officers were promptly able to recover the tires, as well as torches and anti-pullout posters.
The detained boy confessed to planning, along with his friends, to block an intersection in protest of the upcoming settlement evacuation. The police say more arrests are expected in connection with the incident.
Elsewhere, protesters were able to burn tires at the Jerusalem intersection of Herzl and Ben Dor Streets. Police officers dispatched to the scene put out the fire and remove the tires from the site.
In Holon, south of Tel Aviv, police arrested two youths on suspicion of burning tires under the Haetzel Bridge on the Ayalon highway. Police found flammable material in their car and the two were taken in for questioning.
Police wait for protesters
Police arrested two activists Sunday belonging to the anti-pullout "National Home" group, in a bid to thwart the planned road-blockings.
The group hosted a convention in Jerusalem last week where activists threatened to shut down the entire Tel Aviv area on Monday in protest of the pullllout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.
The police's Tel Aviv district has alerted most units, and has deployed policemen to main intersections to wait for protesters and to carry out arrests.
The northern district is also prepared after local police received warnings of possible traffic disruptions in Haifa and the central Carmel area.
Police found several piles of tires earlier Monday, which turned out to be "harmless" tires belonging one of the local garages.
In addition, all police districts have received orders to increase operations and to act in response to each local situation.
Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra told Ynet the police are doing their best to prevent traffic disruptions.
"I hope it will pass peacefully," he said. "The police will do what they can. I hope the people planning to carry out the road-blockings will cancel their plans."
- Raanan Ben-Zur, Ahiya Raved, Efrat Weiss and Avi Cohen contributed to the report
