Ending with a bitter taste: While the public transportation system operated efficiently throughout the entire day of the holiday - and with the exception of isolated problems in Safed and Karmiel - the immigrants celebrating Lag BaOmer near Zion Rashbi enjoyed a quick trip, without unnecessary delays, as the roads to and from Meron were open and uncongested most of the time, at the end of the holiday everything collapsed.
If anyone hoped that the Lag BaOmer celebration in Meron would pass without a scandal, they were disappointed in the evening, with the end of the lighting ceremony in the history of Aharon: Thousands of people descended from the mountain to reach their desired destination and created congestion on the travel routes. The bus drivers who arrived at the parking lots to pick up the passengers were unable to move forward due to the congestion and the crowd – and complete chaos ensued: shouting, screaming, and crying children.
The police, with the help of cavalry, tried to restore order at the scene, while the horses herded the people onto the sidewalks – but without success. MK Uri Maklev addressed the AGM officer in the presence of the MAMZ and asked him to calm the situation in the parking lots. "I expect tolerant behavior from you, especially now towards the end of the event.".
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Meanwhile, fights broke out between passengers in the parking lots, and United Hatzalah paramedics treated four minor injuries. Additional paramedics were on hand to respond if necessary.
In total, 811 medical cases were treated by United Hatzalah during the security operation for the Rashbi celebration.
Northern Police spokesman Moshe Weizman's statement on Operation Meron 2014: "A short time ago, the commander of the Northern District, Superintendent Zohar Dvir, completed a situation assessment with the participation of the head of the Traffic Division, Superintendent Chico Ezri, and with the force commanders regarding the operation. Over 1,000 police officers took part in securing the event and regulating traffic, and at this time thousands of revelers are making their way out of Meron. The Northern District Police and the Traffic Division are working to enable the revelers to return safely.
During the day, tens of thousands of worshipers visited the tomb complex, and since Friday until now, hundreds of thousands of worshipers have visited.
During the dispersal of passengers, 12 suspects, residents of East Jerusalem, in their 20s, who apparently work in the area, were detained. This was after they boarded one of the buses used as an internal shuttle and argued with several Haredim over where they sat – which led to the assault of one of the Haredim. The 12 suspects were taken for questioning at the Safed station.
Alongside this, there are also reports of aggressive behavior on the part of the police officers who were involved in the security operation for the celebration. A chilling testimony comes to Haredim10 from Abrech, a resident of the north, who, while his mouth is full of praise for the ways to get to the place, was shocked by the activities of the YASM at the entrance to the settlement of Meron:
""I drove all the way to Karmiel in my private car, where I parked at the Big complex. I arrived around 11 at night, the shuttle arrived quite quickly and I easily reached Meron. The same on the way back. Since my car was parked at the complex, I didn't have to make my way to the bus stops, which are several kilometers away from the complex.
""But the impression that the police activity left on me will not be erased for a long time. Before my eyes, I saw the horses that the Yasm police officers rode, when more than once they 'stepped' on a young man's foot. Some of the policemen also laughed among themselves, as if we, the ultra-Orthodox, were native foreigners in the country. The feeling was terrible. On the way back, on the shuttle, I got to talk to some of the passengers, secular people, businessmen, who had arrived in Meron as traditionalists. They expressed their shock at the police's attitude. They too often criticize the ultra-Orthodox public. 'But something like this should not happen in the State of Israel,' they told me. 'If it were a Madonna concert, and the young people pushing to get in, would they have treated them like that too?'".
