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Hundreds of demonstrators protesting the military draft clashed with police Sunday in Yerushalayim and Beit Shemesh, as major roads were blocked, the light rail was forced to suspend service, and confrontations between protesters and security forces escalated into violent street battles.

Sunday evening, Rechov Shivtei Yisrael in Yerushalayim became the focal point of the unrest as large numbers of demonstrators gathered for an anti-draft protest that quickly deteriorated into fierce confrontations with police and YASAM riot officers. Protesters blocked key traffic arteries, bringing the city’s light rail system to a complete halt and causing widespread transportation disruptions.

According to an initial report by the Yerushalayim Center news site, what began as a demonstration in the Shivtei Yisrael area rapidly escalated into a large-scale public disturbance. Protesters occupied the roadway, prompting the Kfir light rail company, under instructions from Israel Police, to immediately suspend service between Givat HaMivtar and City Hall stations.

Large contingents of Yerushalayim District police officers, Border Police personnel, and YASAM forces were deployed to the scene. A police commander repeatedly called on demonstrators over loudspeakers to clear the roads, but after those appeals were ignored, officers moved in to disperse the crowd and reopen the blocked streets.

Earlier in the day, another heated anti-draft demonstration took place in Beit Shemesh, where protesters blocked Route 10 near the city as well as the Rasdo traffic circle. The road closures caused severe traffic congestion and required a significant police deployment before order was eventually restored.

The recurring draft protests have continued to disrupt travel throughout Israel in recent months. In one notable case, a Tel Aviv Small Claims Court rejected a compensation lawsuit filed by a customer whose washing machine delivery was delayed by four hours because of protest-related roadblocks. The court ruled that, under the circumstances, delivery companies that make reasonable efforts to complete deliveries despite such disruptions should not be held liable.

The anti-draft demonstrations have become an increasingly common occurrence in recent months as opponents of the proposed draft law continue taking to the streets. Sunday’s unrest in Yerushalayim marked the latest in a series of similar protests that have taken place across the country in recent weeks.

{Matzav.com}

A new Kan News poll shows Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party locked in a tie at 23 Knesset seats each, while Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party and Yair Golan’s Democrats continue to lose support. The survey also indicates that the opposition bloc maintains an advantage over Netanyahu’s coalition.

According to the poll released Sunday evening, Likud gained one seat compared to last week’s survey, reaching 23 mandates, while Eisenkot’s Yashar climbed by two seats to match Likud at 23.

At the same time, Bennett’s Beyachad party slipped by one seat to 13, while the Democrats dropped two seats to just eight. Hadash-Ta’al, meanwhile, picked up one seat and now stands at six mandates.

Elsewhere in the poll, Otzma Yehudit remained unchanged at nine seats, as did Yisrael Beiteinu with nine. Shas and United Torah Judaism also held steady with eight seats each. Religious Zionism, however, fell by one seat and now stands at just four mandates. In addition, the joint party led by Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper cleared the electoral threshold with four seats.

The broader bloc picture showed little movement. Netanyahu’s coalition bloc remained at 52 seats, while the opposition led by Eisenkot stood at 57. Arab parties collectively held 11 mandates.

The poll also tested a scenario in which two new right-wing parties entered the race—one headed by Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein, and another led by Ofer Winter. In that scenario, neither party crossed the electoral threshold. The Democrats gained one seat to reach nine mandates, while Otzma Yehudit fell from nine to eight.

Another scenario examined the impact of MK Yoav Segalovich joining Mansour Abbas’ Ra’am party. Even with Segalovich on its slate, Ra’am remained at five seats, and the overall balance between the political blocs did not change.

On the question of who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu outperformed Bennett by a comfortable margin. Forty percent of respondents said Netanyahu was best suited for the job, compared with 31% who chose the Beyachad leader.

Netanyahu also led Eisenkot in the head-to-head matchup, although by a much narrower margin. The survey found 40% viewed Netanyahu as the better choice for prime minister, while 36% favored Eisenkot.

When respondents were asked to choose between Bennett and Eisenkot, the Yashar leader held a commanding advantage, receiving 37% support compared to just 15% for Bennett.

The poll also asked Israelis about a potential agreement with Hamas regarding Gaza. Forty-five percent of respondents said Israel should oppose such a deal, while 27% said Israel should support it. Another 27% said they were unsure.

{Matzav.com}