Calm returns to Jerusalem's streets
Community officials call on ultra-Orthodox public to stop all clashes with police after haredi mother accused of starving her son is placed under house arrest. Police forces return to headquarters, but expect renewal of protests Saturday
Community officials drove around Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods Friday afternoon and announced by loudspeakers that the haredi mother who is accused of starving her toddler son was placed under house arrest earlier in the day. They called on the public to stop all protests against her incarceration.
Haredi sources explained that because of their isolation from the secular media, many of the community members did not hear of the mother's release and have been gearing up for a continuation of the riots.
Meanwhile the Jerusalem municipality is preparing for a major cleanup of the streets of Geula and Mea Shearim neighborhoods, where locals have piled up garbage in order to block the streets, ahead of the anticipated confrontation with the police.
The mother in court (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)
At the same time, the police forces that deployed earlier in the day outside the haredi areas began returning to the police headquarters.
Despite the temporary calm, the ultra-Orthodox protests are expected to resume Saturday with a large demonstration against the opening of the Karta parking lot on Shabbat. However, according to reports this is expected to be a passive rally.
The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court remanded the haredi woman suspected of starving her three-year-old son, to house arrest Friday. She was released to the custody of haredi lobbyist Avraham Froelich.
Froelich and Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman posted the suspect's NIS 400,000 (some $102,400) bail, along with other court assurances.
