Several thousand haredim from the extremist Yerushalmi Faction (Jerusalem Faction) blocked the main entrance to Jerusalem on Monday and protested in other areas as part of a series of demonstrations against registering for the IDF and the arrest of two haredi draft dodgers.

They are protesting despite the fact that at IDF registration, anyone with a letter from his yeshiva dean is granted an unlimited deferment for as long as he studies Torah full time. The faction is afraid that the Supreme Court decision mandating a new draft law and the fact that the quota for haredi soldiers was not filled this year will be used as an excuse to draft haredi boys.

The protesters occupied an area around Jerusalem's main bus station that serves as the city's primary exit and entrance point, police and an AFP journalist said.

At one point, police used a foul-smelling spray known as "skunk" to disperse them.

There were reports of roads being blocked in other areas as well. Police said at least 10 people had been arrested.

The Yerushalmi Faction has demonstrated across the country for the past week.

On Thursday, police arrested 120 demonstrators after a major intersection was blocked as part of a string of protests throughout the day.

Police said protesters in the Mea Shearim neighborhood had blocked streets and set fire to garbage bins, using them as flaming barricades.