Hundreds of haredim riot over crackdown following women's exclusion in city. Crowd mobs TV crews, stone security forces
Neri Brenner

Tempers in Beit Shemesh ran high Monday, following the growing demand to crack down on radical religious elements that are demanding stricter enforcement of segregation between the sexes in the city.

The City of Beit Shemesh and the local police force announced that they will install 300-400 security cameras throughout the city in an attempt to fight radical religious individuals who are harassing women and girls.

The expected enforcement efforts – especially in the city's Hayarden Street, which was the scene of several attacks against women – prompted hundreds of haredim to gather in porters of the future policing measures.

Some of the haredim clashed with police forces. One officer sustained mild injuries after he was stoned by rioters. He was treated on site and two suspects were arrested.

TV camera crews from Channel 2 and Channel 10, which arrived at the religious neighborhood, were mobbed by the crowd. A photojournalist covering the protest was also attacked. The police arrested three suspects.

While many in Beit Shemesh said they hopped the camera will be posted to boost public safety, there were those who doubted Mayor Moshe Abutbul would see the plan through.

"Anyone who thinks the cameras will be set up is wrong," City Opposition member Motti Cohen told Ynet. "There's no way a haredi mayor would install such cameras in the haredi neighborhoods.

"This move is purely for show and I'm afraid that the way things are going, many of us will never be able to have the life we want in this city."

Interior Minister Eli Yishai condemned the violence saying that the acts in question were "perpetrated by radical elements and should be condemned by everyone in the haredi community… There isn't one rabbi who would support such acts," he said.

Yishai urged Abutbul to act against the phenomenon, saying that "all relevant government bureaus will do everything in their power to deal with this phenomenon."

Yoav Malka and Yair Altman contributed to this report

Israel today has three groups that like to throw stones, Haredi, Hill Top Youth, Arabs.

The answer should be the same in each case, we need to allow the IDF and police to open fire on these thugs no matter what group they belong to.

In Israel, we used to open fire on stone throwing thugs. It is time to go back to this as the standard.

If you don't want members of your community to get shot, stop these thugs.

Settlers parents of hill top youth, please before someone gets killed. Stop your children, from running wild.

Please normal Haredim, you need to come out on the streets and stop these taliban in Beit Shemesh. For if you don't help to stop these terrorist, you in the end will be painted by the same brush that the rest of us will wield to stop these punks.

I remember Beit Shemesh when it was a wonderful town, full of Jews from Morocco, and Yemen.

Too bad the place has gone to hell. I remember arresting illegal Palestinian workers out of Ramat Beit Shemesh and fearing what this building would bring.

I remember when the number of Anglo's in the area were just three of us, back in the good old days. All married to Yemenite's.