An Israeli-Arab man from east Jerusalem was arrested on Monday for conducting his wedding reception in the middle of Begin Highway in Jerusalem. The celebration, which was held three months ago, blocked the road and disrupted traffic in the area.
The incident received little attention until this week when Im Tirtzu’s Arab Desk published videos of the celebration on Facebook and Twitter, where it quickly gained 110,000 views. Im Tirtzu tagged Israeli police and called for them to act. As a result, the groom was arrested and a statement from Israeli police was released:
"Following online publications of a video that shows cars wildly blocking a Jerusalem road while severely disrupting traffic, we wish to clarify that the incident occurred some three months ago, and as a result tickets were given to nine drivers who were present and blocked traffic. In addition to traffic enforcement, the Israel Police is examining taking criminal action against the host of the event.”
The police statement also addressed the arrest of the groom: “The host of the event through which the offense was committed, who was present on the scene, was arrested on the suspicion of violating public order and was brought to the police station for investigation."
