Haredi protesters block Jerusalem cafe amid ongoing months-long dispute over Shabbat opening

Haredi protesters reportedly set up barricades outside Jerusalem's Basimta Cafe on Saturday morning, marking the eighth consecutive week of demonstrations against its opening on Shabbat. The protests began on July 4, with demonstrators surrounding the cafe and overturning tables. This incident follows the arrest of a 75-year-old suspect earlier in the week for alleged vandalism, including graffiti and damage to the cafe's lock. The cafe was recently identified as a project of Jews for Jesus. Several politicians, including MK Meirav Cohen and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, have participated in counter-protests, with Cohen stating, "When he opened the place on Shabbat, emissaries came to him and offered him money so that he would close. He said 'no thank you,' and from that moment he has been subjected to demonstrations outside his café every Shabbat." Liberman condemned the Haredi protesters, advocating for the principle of "live and let live."