A key road that serves as a traffic artery connecting parts of southern Jerusalem and Bethlehem was closed early Tuesday and traffic chaos resulted. Later in the day, a false rumor was spread on social media that more closures would take place which led to more concerns that the chaos would continue this week.

The story began during work on the light rail route in Jerusalem as the light rail is being extended to Gilo and also to other areas. An area on Derech Hebron is a focus of construction work expanding the transportation infrastructure. The road here runs near Mar Elias monastery and one branch heads to Bethlehem.

Derech Hebron is so named because it connects Jerusalem to Hebron and was the historic road of travel for trade going back centuries. Today due to the checkpoint on the road to Bethlehem and the routing of traffic via the tunnel roads to the Gush Etzion bloc, it plays a role as a road funneling traffic from Har Homa, Ramat Rachel, Talpiot, Bethlehem and Beit Safafa. It also connects to Gilo, meaning it serves hundreds of thousands of people a day commuting to areas in southern Jerusalem and the West Bank. 

Two dangerous old artillery shell casings were located. Traffic was stopped on the road and large traffic jams resulted on early Tuesday morning. By noon traffic was flowing again. Experts in disposal of unexploded ordnance removed the shells.

Police sappers operate at scene where old artillery shells were found in Jerusalem. September 19, 2023 (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
Police sappers operate at scene where old artillery shells were found in Jerusalem. September 19, 2023 (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
“The driving public is asked to obey the instructions of the police officers at roadblocks and to choose alternative routes in advance,” the police said on Tuesday. One photo of an old shell appeared to show a shell that could date from the a century ago. The area near Mar Elias used to be a military position, as evidenced by trenches on the hill. There was also fighting at Ramat Rachel in the 1948 War of Independence and again in 1967.

False rumor spread of additional munitions

Later on Tuesday, a false rumor was shared on social media claiming that roads would be closed again on Wednesday morning. Messaging services spread the rumor and users were briefly concerned that their commute would take several hours again, as it did Tuesday. However, residents were re-assured that the rumor was false and likely a prank.