Ultra-Orthodox Israeli protesters block highway in protest against IDF draft: "WATCH"
Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators have obstructed a key highway close to Tel Aviv and engaged in confrontations with police regarding IDF conscription initiatives. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Demonstrators flocked to a major highway near Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on Thursday, voicing their opposition to the mandatory conscription of Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Military service is compulsory for most citizens in Israel, with men and women required to serve between 24 and 32 months. However, Haredi Jews had enjoyed exemptions from service since Israel's inception in 1948, until the Israeli Supreme Court revoked this privilege in June last year. This ruling was made in conjunction with the IDF's efforts to alleviate personnel shortages during its military operations against Hamas in Gaza. In August, Haredi men began receiving conscription notices, yet the IDF reported that a minimal number have voluntarily enlisted.
On Thursday, protesters affiliated with the Jerusalem Faction, a hardline ultra-Orthodox group, conducted a sit-in on Route 4, blocking traffic in both directions and clashing with police efforts to disperse the gathering.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as: “We will die and not enlist,” while displaying banners opposing military service. Police statements indicated that protesters directed insults at officers, labeling them as “Nazis.” The protest extended for several hours before authorities managed to clear the highway by the late evening.
Videos circulating online depicted police officers and IDF servicemen forcibly removing protesters from the roadway, though no arrests were reported.
The protest took place soon after the IDF initiated recruitment for its newly established ultra-Orthodox unit, the Hasmonean Brigade. On January 5, the IDF revealed on Telegram that approximately 50 Haredi recruits had been enlisted to form the brigade’s first company, with additional recruitment efforts scheduled for this month aimed at bringing in another 100 Haredi men for the brigade’s initial reserve company.
Israel has a population exceeding one million Haredim, recognized for their distinctive black clothing, wide-brimmed hats for men, and head coverings along with long skirts for women. The Haredim typically seek to limit interaction with the secular Jewish majority. Many among them contend that military service interferes with their studies of the Torah, prayer practices, and religious customs, such as maintaining separation from the opposite sex. In response, the IDF has expressed its commitment to adjusting policies and training environments to suit Haredi lifestyle needs.
The government is in the process of finalizing a bill aimed at regulating the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews, which reportedly plans to increase the number of Haredim subject to conscription while offering exemptions to full-time seminary students.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
Military service is compulsory for most citizens in Israel, with men and women required to serve between 24 and 32 months. However, Haredi Jews had enjoyed exemptions from service since Israel's inception in 1948, until the Israeli Supreme Court revoked this privilege in June last year. This ruling was made in conjunction with the IDF's efforts to alleviate personnel shortages during its military operations against Hamas in Gaza. In August, Haredi men began receiving conscription notices, yet the IDF reported that a minimal number have voluntarily enlisted.
On Thursday, protesters affiliated with the Jerusalem Faction, a hardline ultra-Orthodox group, conducted a sit-in on Route 4, blocking traffic in both directions and clashing with police efforts to disperse the gathering.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as: “We will die and not enlist,” while displaying banners opposing military service. Police statements indicated that protesters directed insults at officers, labeling them as “Nazis.” The protest extended for several hours before authorities managed to clear the highway by the late evening.
Videos circulating online depicted police officers and IDF servicemen forcibly removing protesters from the roadway, though no arrests were reported.
The protest took place soon after the IDF initiated recruitment for its newly established ultra-Orthodox unit, the Hasmonean Brigade. On January 5, the IDF revealed on Telegram that approximately 50 Haredi recruits had been enlisted to form the brigade’s first company, with additional recruitment efforts scheduled for this month aimed at bringing in another 100 Haredi men for the brigade’s initial reserve company.
Israel has a population exceeding one million Haredim, recognized for their distinctive black clothing, wide-brimmed hats for men, and head coverings along with long skirts for women. The Haredim typically seek to limit interaction with the secular Jewish majority. Many among them contend that military service interferes with their studies of the Torah, prayer practices, and religious customs, such as maintaining separation from the opposite sex. In response, the IDF has expressed its commitment to adjusting policies and training environments to suit Haredi lifestyle needs.
The government is in the process of finalizing a bill aimed at regulating the conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews, which reportedly plans to increase the number of Haredim subject to conscription while offering exemptions to full-time seminary students.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
