Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters, denouncing the IDF's plans to draft members of the haredi community, blocked Highway 4 near Bnei Brak on Tuesday afternoon.
Several dozen protesters blocked the southbound direction of the highway, with others blocking the northbound direction.
The protesters, largely from the extreme Jerusalem Faction, shouted slogans including "death before conscription," according to Ynet. Israel Police officers arrived at the scene and attempted to clear the road, Ynet added.
Police later arrested a protester for assaulting police officers by throwing a glass bottle, according to KAN News.
The protests later extended into nearby Givat Shmuel where local residents held a counter-protest, holding signs reading "Your brothers will go to war, but you sit here?" which led to localized violence with the haredi protesters, according to an Army Radio report.
The IDF, on Sunday, announced that it has launched a last-chance opportunity for anyone who hasn’t advanced with their draft notice, which would allow them to enlist in an accelerated process.
The last-ditch effort came at the heels of several arrests made by the military against several haredi draft dodgers over the past week. Currently, there are some 14,600 deserters.
Netanyahu an 'athiest,' former chief rabbi claims
Former Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reasoning for stalling the bill was due to his being “an atheist."
He also said that the IDF was targeting Sephardim for arrests.
Speaking after a week of demonstrations outside a military prison that houses haredi detainees, Yosef said the coalition should have passed the draft law before approving its first budget, in line with the coalition agreement.
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.