Haredim, police clash at fresh Jerusalem rally against Intel plant

How can anybody expect the haredim to not stand up for the sanctity of the Sabbath? The same as we expect anyone else to respect the law. If they need to use civil disobedience to express their disagreement with the law, they should be willing (as M L King said) to pay the price. Nobody is above the law.

If they opened the plant in the Tel-Aviv area, no one would be making a fuss.

It is interesting that Haredim that are in North America, South America, etc. do not riot on the Sabbath even though they live in areas where other Jews and non-Jews drive cars and work on the Sabbath. Why this double standard? Could it be that any place but Israel these rioting Haredim would find themselves quickly in jail for a long time? I invite them to riot in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, France, or Singapore and see what the reaction would be. Israel is too soft on these guys.

Zev Davis, Last time I checked, Israel was a democracy. People and businesses have to the right to set up wherever is most convenient for them. Perhaps you should look up the meaning of the word "tolerance" remember that secular people are still tolerating the haredim who don't go to the army or work.

To #6(Mark): Earlier articles noted that Intel was in this area BEFORE the Haredi community expanded to be as close as they now are--so much for Intel moving into religious areas. Also: if the secular community begins to 'leave religious communities alone' then I guess seculars will have to stop financial supports of religious. Which brings us back to other comments and other articles: if they(religious) were working, they wouldn't be rioting, as they would be like the rest of us and have too much to do during the week, and too much respect to 'break' Shabbos.

Last I checked, throwing rocks and attacking journalists was in violation of Shabbat and wait . . . yes Judiasm. These people are not only free-loaders getting Gov?t money because they refuse to get a job, but they are a sad excuse for ?religious? Jews.

As an Israeli I feel afraid that companies like Intel may leave Israel. We need the jobs and the business. We must provide a good work environment and attract such companies to Israel- not drive them away!

Intel should pack up and leave.

Esther, Maybe in Tel Aviv you can force your so-called secularism on people who are Halachically Observant as you have been doing almost forever. In Jerusalem, it don't work. Imagine opening up slaughter house in front of a community that "doesn't eat meat" as a matter of conviction. Watching the cattle come up in trucks and knowing the animals will be killed in the plant "next door" would be an affront to their sensibilities, no? Likewise, the people who placed the plant there should have known, even before they placed the factory there that the population around it were stricter about the Shabbat, say than the people who live in Ramat Aviv Gimel. Ah!, but the people in that neighborhood would not want the factory there for other reasons, so . . . Yeah, its easier to stick it to the Haredim so the editors of HaAretz can make a fuss about religious coersion.

If intel moves tell me who is going to pay for all the hand outs the Haredim get. Wonder if the ARab nations will help them?

Why not relocate the lunatics to an insane asylum?

"How can anyone, the right mind, actually expect Hareidim to not stand up for the sanctity of Shabbat. . ." - Mark from Toronto How can any nation expect foreign investment when factories will be put out of production for a day a week? Israel once humored the Haredi because they were harmless. Now they are an economic threat, as well as making the nation look like some sort of Hebrew Iran.

Mark you seemed to be not aware that Intel is a private domain , in the same way a persons private home is also classed as a private domain. What private individuals do in the privacey of their own office is no concern of the charideem.you also are mistaken in the fact that the Intel factory is no way near their nieghborhood. Will they be protesting outside the Electric company on Shabbat where those nasty secular people are working 24/7 to bring electric to the chardieems houses? Will they be next knocking on our doors checking we are not watching TV on fridays? Its the charideem that are forcing their so called lifestyle on the majority. For a minority that does not work, does not pay taxes, does not serve in the army i think they are the last people to be dictating to others how to live their lives.

You are criticizing Israel and Shabbat because it is a Saturday. I would like to hear you criticizing all European countries that forbid industrial working on Sundays. I presume that it appeals more to your believes.

Their Shabbes hats cost about $2000 each and will be wrecked by water cannon. Next week just saok all of them and see how quickly they run.

if the hareidim were actually practicing shabbat i might have more sympathy - but i suspect all these protests are not in the spirit of the day. more to the point - they should adopt an attitide of teaching by example- if people like the look of shabbat theyll do it.

How can anyone, the right mind, actually expect Hareidim to not stand up for the sanctity of Shabbat, when there are those who are breaking Shabbat in THEIR OWN NEIGHBOURHOOD. Maybe the secular world should stop imposing themselves on the Religious, they are only standing up for what they believe in. Intel is blatantly shoving their factory down their throats, it's right across the street from where they live.

such consequences should have been taken into consideration in the begining.

... until these guys cool down in the shtetel... and let the goyim work in peace at Intel on shabbos...

These people need to go to work. Oh I forgot, they are all on welfare.

Is Israel the light unto nations it once was called or has Israel lost its soul? Haredi soldiers refuse orders to evacuate illegal outposts and settlements and haredim riot in Jerusalem and call fellow Israelis "nazi's" and are going to cause major western high technology companies to move their offices from Israel. For far too long both Labor and Likud have been blackmailed by the religious parties and by letting them have their way severe harm is being inflicted on the State. Netanyahu needs his own "Atalena" moment but is too weak and too much of a political opportunist, and this will only add to the chaos that will eventually consume Israel. There must be one rule of law in Israel or else you will have anarchy and with anarchy you no longer have a State.

Jerusalem, Iran - If people want to work on the Saturday, and employers want to provide jobs on Saturday, that`s their right. People who do not like it do not have to work or keep places of business open on Saturday. Just don`t impose superstitious beliefs upon others. How about "live and let live" and those troublemaker who violate the law get locked up? Israel is an integral part of the global economy. It is not a shtetl. Not everybody believes that there is an invisible man in the sky calling the shots about absolutely everything, like in "Steambath" by Bruce Jay Friedman. In any event, it would be the proponents of this proposition, (which goes against the laws of nature), who have the burden of proof.