Officials deny earlier reports of haredim pelting rocks at builders.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, JONAH MANDELHarediProtestBarzilaiHospital311(photo credit: Associated Press)
Askhkelon Police on Tuesday denied reports that Haredi protesters had thrown rocks at construction workers building a rocket-proof emergency room at Barzilai Hospital earlier in the day.The police confirmed Haredi protesters' claims that they only prayed and demonstrated peacefully at the constructions area, which was previously an ancient gravesite.RELATED:Haredim draw swastika at BarzilaiOpinion: The battle for sensible governmentDozens of Haredi protesters congregated at the site earlier on Tuesday.The protesters objected to the new emergency room because they claim its construction required the moving of Jewish bones buried at the site. Several demonstrators were detained for attempting to stop the construction efforts on Monday.Haredi sources claimed that reports of protesters throwing stones were the result of the hospital's spokeswoman deliberately spreading misinformation.According to haredi website Behadrei Haredim, a police spokeswoman confirmed that a police squad dispatched reported nothing beyond "a group of haredim standing and praying at the site."The Barzilai Medical Center spokeswoman responded to the website's claims by saying that the protesters had apparently stopped throwing stones by the time police arrived on the scene.The new rocket-proof emergency room is being built to replace the current facility which was threatened by rockets during Operation Cast Lead.Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
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