Hundreds of dairy farmers and agricultural workers arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday in convoys of vehicles and heavy farming equipment to protest Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s dairy reform.
The protest, which began with major traffic disruptions on Highway 1, deteriorated into physical clashes with police and damage to government property.
Severe traffic disruptions were already felt by the early hours of Wednesday morning on the road to Jerusalem. Farmers blocked Highway 1 at multiple points, dumping large quantities of fresh milk and scattering piles of hay across central traffic lanes.
According to the protesters, these drastic actions stemmed from "deep frustration with a policy that abandons local production."
Demonstrators clashed with police officers who attempted to prevent them from approaching government buildings. Protesters managed to break through the outer electric gate of the Finance Ministry and advanced toward the building’s entrance. Police were forced to use force to push the protesters back.