Two young men, ages 18 and 16, were convicted on Thursday by the Supreme Court of endangering lives by disrupting traffic in a protest two years ago against the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif, which was sponsored by the organization “A Jew Does Not Expel a Jew.” During the protest, the young men joined others in setting fire to mattresses and blocking the Geha Highway near Tel-Aviv, causing severe traffic jams.



The two were previously found guilty of the same crime in the Tel Aviv District Court. However, the court did not record a conviction, so as not to hurt their chances of being accepted to army combat units. Instead, they were sentenced to community service. The prosecution appealed that sentence, leading to Thursday’s conviction.