Some 80 ultra-Orthodox men were detained for questioning on Monday afternoon after rioting on Jaffa's Andromeda Hill. The haredim were detained after disrupting construction works in the area, where they say Jewish graves are located.
The protestors have been clashing with police forces on an almost weekly basis since last week.
The arrests sparked a violent protest in Jerusalem, where dozens of haredi men rioted near Shabbat Square in protest of the arrest of a senior Eda Haredit member in Jaffa. The protestors blocked Bar-Ilan Road, punctured the wheels of buses, set fire to dustbins and called on the police to arrest the man immediately.
The Jaffa riots began after buses carrying haredi protestors arrived in the city. According to the police, the number of demonstrators was bigger than in previous times, and they gathered on the road in an attempt to disrupt the work.
Haredi protest in Jaffa (Photo: Ofer Amram)
Police forces headed by Commander Yoram Ohayon warned the protestors to not to rioting. After declaring the protest an illegal gathering, they began removing them one by one. The haredim were put inside police cars and detained for questioning.
About 80 protestors were detained after clashing with the police. Some of them were not carrying identity cards and refused to cooperate with the police. The police plan to act against the protest's leaders, while the rest of the detainees are expected to be released in the evening hours.
"This has turned into a habit, but we won't lend a hand to disturbances," a police official said. "Every time public order is disturbed we will arrest people, despite the fact that it creates quite a big a burden on the system. Law must be maintained."
Shmulik Grossman contributed to this report