In Jerusalem, Hasidim block roads over military service law
Israel's Prime Minister threatened imprisonment for all who do not study the Torah and refuse to serve.
In Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked key transport arteries in protest against mandatory military conscription, reports Anadolu Ajansı.
The demonstrators opposed mandatory military service, viewing it as a threat to their religious way of life. The protest escalated into unrest after participants ignored repeated police demands to clear the roadway.
During a closed meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened imprisonment for all who do not study the Torah and refuse to serve. The head of government acknowledged that previous attempts to legislatively suspend the arrest of draft evaders had not led to an increase in the number of recruits, and therefore after the elections the authorities would adopt a new law to address the personnel shortage in the army.
The standoff over the mobilization of religious citizens intensified following a Supreme Court ruling in June 2024. The court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews are subject to mandatory conscription on equal terms with other citizens, and ordered the cessation of state funding for religious schools whose students refuse to serve.
The ultra-Orthodox community makes up approximately 13% of Israel's population and insists on the unconditional priority of Torah study, believing that military conscription threatens their traditional religious way of life. Just a few days before the current incident, Jerusalem police had already detained 63 people for participating in similar protests.
As the UOJ reported, thousands of Hasidim in Israel besieged a military prison over a draft evader.
