Jerusalem
JerusalemYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Predominantly Jewish neighborhoods across Jerusalem will be closed to traffic from Arab neighborhoods during the Yom Kippur holiday.

As millions of Jews prepared for the Yom Kippur fast, which begins Tuesday evening, Israeli police released a map of the roadblocks which will be placed across the capital, with the aim of preventing Arab traffic from disrupting the holiday in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods.

According to information provided by police at the request of the far-left Peace Now organization, a total of 112 makeshift roadblocks will be set up across Jerusalem, mostly along the pre-1967 line dividing eastern and western Jerusalem.

Even in largely secular neighborhoods, Israeli Jews generally refrain from driving on Yom Kippur, leading to large numbers of pedestrians using roadways during the holy day.

In Jerusalem, however, with its Arab population of roughly 330,000, police have in the past blocked off roads leading from predominantly Arab neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem to Jewish neighborhoods to prevent friction during Yom Kippur.

“Like every year, the police are preparing for Yom Kippur in Jerusalem with officers, Border Police officers, and volunteers, who are positioned across the city and work throughout the holiday to ensure public order,” said a police spokesperson.

“These operational preparations are undertaken with a full sense of the need to balance holiday traditions with the need to allow residents of the city to go about their lives, including preserving their ability to reach hospitals and their neighborhoods.”