Tel Aviv Driver Injured and Car Wrecked in Violent Highway Protest
A 27-year-old Tel Aviv business owner was severely injured and his car wrecked after being trapped in a violent ultra-Orthodox protest on Highway 4. He is now demanding accountability and criticizing government inaction.
What was supposed to be a routine drive home from work turned into a violent ordeal for 27-year-old Omer Yeshayahu from Ramat Gan, leaving him injured and his car heavily damaged. Yeshayahu, owner of the "John John" business in northern Tel Aviv, found himself trapped in a violent ultra-Orthodox protest on Highway 4 during election night. According to his account, hundreds of demonstrators surrounded his vehicle, pelting it with stones, garbage bins, and iron fences. When he attempted to escape the scene, he suffered a foot injury. As he prepares for surgery at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, he recounts the moments of terror and his lingering anger following the incident.
The events unfolded on October 27 at approximately 22:30. Yeshayahu was finishing his workday and driving home when he reached Highway 4 and encountered a violent protest by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators who had blocked traffic using burning tires, garbage bins, and iron fences. He stated that the roadblock quickly escalated into a direct assault against him.
"I was alone in the car. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators began burning tires, bins, and iron fences to block the road. Suddenly, they started throwing stones at me. Hundreds of people surrounded me, hurling bins and iron fences, smashing my windshield, and wrecking the hood. I felt completely helpless," he recalled.
When he attempted to break free from the blocked road, Yeshayahu decided to step out of his vehicle to clear the obstacles himself. However, his attempt to escape resulted in a severe injury. "I panicked and tried to get away, but there was no way out. I stepped out of the car to move a bin and an iron fence blocking my path, and they threw them back at me, crushing my toe. I just wanted to return home from work, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by hundreds of attackers."
As a result of the trauma, he is scheduled to undergo surgery next week at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. His vehicle also sustained extensive damage, rendering it completely inoperable.
According to Yeshayahu, it was only after police intervention that he managed to leave the highway. "The police started using stun grenades to disperse the protest. My car wouldn't start because of what they had done to it. Six officers helped me push it off the middle of the road. Ultimately, I had to get home with police escort because the windshield was shattered."
Despite the harrowing experience, Yeshayahu praised the officers at the scene for assisting him. "The police did a good job there. Once they arrived, they handled the protest firmly, using stun grenades on the roads and at the gas station. However, it took time for them to arrive, and in the meantime, all of us bore the consequences," he noted.
He claimed that the violence was not directed at him alone. "This was an extremely violent protest. They even threw stones at a bus carrying ultra-Orthodox women. This is a gang of idle criminals; it is an absolute disgrace." Yeshayahu views the incident on Highway 4 not merely as an isolated act of violence, but as a symptom of a reality where citizens bear the brunt of violent protests surrounding the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription to the Israel Defense Forces.
"These are people who hate Israel. It is a shame and a disgrace that we are abandoned like this," he stated angrily. "Our government, which defines itself as fully right-wing, is supposed to safeguard Israeli interests, yet instead it supports draft dodgers and legitimizes this behavior. It is terrible." Yeshayahu made no secret of his political stance. "I voted for Bennett because he said he would fight draft evasion and ensure an equal burden for everyone. It is unacceptable for this public to continue acting this way while we pay the price."
Days after the incident and while coping with his injury, Yeshayahu demands that those responsible be held accountable. "I expect those who harmed me to face consequences. We cannot legitimize this violence. People must be able to drive on the road and return home without fearing attack."
According to Israeli media reports, a response from the Israel Police has not yet been received.
