Israeli police clash with ultra-Orthodox Jew protesters over military service

Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters clashed in Tel Aviv on Monday during a demonstration against military service. In a statement, the police said demonstrators blocked roads near the Tel Hashomer recruitment office as officers moved to disperse the anti-draft protest. Officers repeatedly warned demonstrators through loudspeakers before accusing them of “disturbing public order,” blocking roads and clashing with police, it said. Video footage showed police officers forcibly removing protesters from a street near the recruitment office in Tel Hashomer. The Jerusalem Post reported that dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters tried Monday morning to block roads leading to the recruitment office. The protest aimed to prevent the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army. The demonstrators slept on the ground outside the site to be present when recruitment procedures began at dawn, the newspaper said. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, also known as Haredim, have continued protests against army service after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on June 25, 2024, that they must be drafted and that financial aid should be withheld from religious institutions whose students refuse military service. Senior rabbis, whose followers view their rulings as religious edicts, have urged ultra-Orthodox Jews to refuse enlistment and even “tear up” draft orders. Haredim make up about 13% of Israel’s population of 10 million and reject military service, saying they dedicate their lives to studying the Torah. They also argue that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity and the continuity of their community. For decades, members of the community avoided conscription at the age of 18 by obtaining repeated deferments on the grounds of religious study until reaching the current exemption age of 26.