Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv district): Plan journeys on 11-12 June accounting for disruption during Pride events
Level: Notice
Location: Tel Aviv - Israel
Category: Protest/Rally, Road disruption
Plan journeys in Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv district) on 11-12 June accounting for disruption during LGBTQ Pride events. On 11 June, a vigil will take place from 18.00 (local time) at 40 Sderot Rothschild to denounce violence against the LGBTQ community. The main parade will occur on 12 June from 13.00 along Shlomo Lahat from Rehov Shalag to Charles Clore Park. Demonstrators will also denounce the government’s perceived measures to reduce LGBTQ protections. The events are likely to gather significant attendance.
Advice
- Plan journeys accounting for disruption during the events.
- If travelling in the vicinity of the parade and the demonstration, ensure routes are clear prior to setting out and allow additional time to complete journeys.
- Expect heightened security around the events and follow official directives.
- Monitor our Israel alerts for updates.
Level: Notice
Location: Israel
Category: Protest/Rally, Political unrest, Road disruption
Expect and avoid further anti-government protests in the coming weeks due to the risk of unrest. Recent protests have been linked to growing public dissatisfaction over the government’s handling of regional military operations (see related alerts). The upcoming legislative elections, the ultra-Orthodox military conscription bill and wider discontent over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption charges may trigger further protests, which are likely to garner significant attendance. Previous such gatherings have caused traffic disruption and occasionally turned unruly.
Advice
- Liaise with local contacts for information on any related protests in your area and avoid all associated events as a precaution. The risk of unrest increases in the evening hours.
- Expect localised traffic disruption around demonstrations. If travelling near one, ensure routes are clear prior to setting out and allow additional time for journeys.
- Expect heightened security near protests and follow all official directives. Leave an area at the first sign of unrest.
- Monitor our Israel alerts for updates.
More detail
Impact
Anti-draft protests in Beit Shemesh (Jerusalem district) turned violent when protesters blocking roads were forcefully dispersed by the police on 4 June. Meanwhile, demonstrators stormed into a police station to protest the arrest of a draft evader leading to riots overnight on 31 May-1 June. Protests have been held in urban centres, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv district), to denounce regional military operations. The security forces have forcibly dispersed several such events and detained participants due to restrictions on public gatherings amid the conflict with Iran.
Flashpoints for protests include public squares, government buildings and the prime minister’s official and private residences in Jerusalem and Caesarea (Haifa district). Protesters may block major roads, including the Ayalon Highway, as well as highways 2 and 4. Blockades are also possible along Route 4.
The following list of common protest locations is not exhaustive:
Haifa (Haifa)
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Outlook
Protest calls may intensify in the coming weeks over the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. Participants in related demonstrations often block major highways, and confrontations can escalate when security forces attempt to disperse crowds using tear gas and rubber bullets. Although, protesters typically disperse after police intervention, some have subsequently thrown stones at officers. Recent flashpoints include police stations where clashes linked to the arrest of draft-evaders have occurred.
Political tensions are likely to rise as the Knesset (parliament) further advances a coalition-sponsored dissolution bill, potentially fuelling protests. On 1 June, lawmakers passed the bill’s first reading, raising the likelihood of snap elections ahead of the currently scheduled October date.
Anti-government protests have featured calls for Netanyahu’s resignation linked to his ongoing corruption trial, which resumed on 2 June. Other issues likely to drive protests include Hamas’s disarmament in the Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territories), the ceasefires with Iran and Hizbullah, and wider regional military operations.