The municipality issued a statement in response to the report, saying that the decision came after a letter from the city's rabbis, while it also said that it could be further expanded in the future.Follow us on GoogleLadies in Bnei Brak watching as the men leave to protest outsidem of Military Prison 10 on June 24, 2026. (photo credit: Chen G. Schimmel)ByJERUSALEM POST STAFFJULY 14, 2026 18:59Bnei Brak is set to become the first city in Israel with gender-segregated streets, after the municipality decided to turn sections of Shlomo Hamelech and Ezra streets into segregated streets, Channel 13 reported on Tuesday.The decision establishes this section because it is near event halls, following the city's rabbis' statement calling for segregation in the area due to large crowds, while the municipality also said that other streets might be affected by the rule in the future.The municipality issued a statement in response to the report, and claimed that "the letter from the city's rabbis is very clear and speaks for itself."Haredi protestors stand under a bridge, blocking a road near Bnei Brak on Wednesday, 17 June. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)"The public in the city, who trust in obedience to the great men of Israel and listen to their words, will fulfill their request," the statement said.This is not the first time that public segregation was attempted in Israel, with a Supreme Court decision from 2017 ordering the removal of a sign that attempted to segregate the roads in a Beit Shemesh haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhood.Haredi citizens demand rules promoting ultra-Orthodox lifestyleThis decision comes as reports of haredi citizens demanding more municipal rules that abide by the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle. In Tiberias, haredi have been protesting against the Trapez Beach, demanding that it become a segregated beach.In Safed, protests erupted last week demanding an end to public transportation during Shabbat, while citizens reported haredi men using public buildings as resting places during the weekend.In the political sphere, laws regarding gender segregation and demands for support of the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle were also discussed this week at the Knesset.On Tuesday, the plenum passed a law suspending the arrests of haredi draft dodgers in a close vote that ended 58 to 54.The passage of the bill in its final readings comes following severe legal warnings that the legislation is unbalanced, along with outcry from bereaved families and IDF veterans, amid the IDF’s severe manpower shortage.It also comes after IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir warned on Monday that implementing such a law would create an array of national security problems.He stated that he opposes the bill's implementation “completely and unequivocally.”Earlier on Monday, the deans of Israel’s medical schools published a letter to Knesset members warning of the dangers posed by the proposed Gender Segregation Bill in Higher Education.Keshet Neev and Hadar Katsman contributed to this report.Follow us on Google