Officials in the Jerusalem faction announced on Saturday night that they plan to hold demonstrations and block roads in protest of the arrest of an 18-year-old yeshiva student last Friday for army desertion.
Maor Wazana, a student at the Mishkan David yeshiva led by Rabbi Yisrael Gabbay in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, was detained at 3 a.m. Friday after stopping his car at a gas station near Ma’ale Adumim.
Police officers asked Wazana for identification, and a check revealed he was classified as an army deserter. He was taken to the Ma’ale Adumim police station, from where military police transferred him to the detention facility in Anatot.
According to his family and friends, Wazana never applied for a deferment from military service and did not report to the draft office, following his rabbis’ guidance not to recognize military institutions.
After the arrest, the Am Kadosh organization intervened to assist, with lawyer Shlomo Hadad engaging in negotiations with military authorities. Shortly before the start of the Sabbath, a military judge held a hearing and sentenced Wazana to ten days in detention.
Previous arrests of yeshiva students have sparked violent protests and widespread traffic disruptions in Jerusalem and other cities. It is not yet known when the planned demonstrations will take place.