Clashes erupt among Israelis over conscription of ultra-orthodox Jews

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) — Clashes erupted in Jerusalem among Israelis demanding the mandatory conscription of Ultra-Orthodox Jews into military service and those opposing it, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Sunday.

The official media outlet reported that police dispersed protestors after clashes erupted between hundreds of Israelis demanding Haredim conscription and those opposing it during a demonstration outside the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem.

It added that the demonstration outside a religious Jewish neighborhood was organized by the "Brothers in Arms," a movement that advocates for religious and non-religious Israelis to be treated equally in mandatory military conscription.

Protestors hung banners at the neighborhood's entrance reading, "Your brothers go to war while you sit here?!"

Police arrested a religious Jew on suspicion of assaulting one of the protestors, according to the media outlet.

The protest was held in the end of March when the government's order to postpone the implementation of mandatory conscription for Haredim in the military expired.

Religious parties in the ruling coalition have threatened to withdraw from the government if a new conscription law does not exempt Haredim from military service.

The ultra-Orthodox constitute about 13% of Israel's population, and they do not serve in the army, claiming to dedicate their lives to the study of Torah in theological institutes.

The law requires every Israeli above 18 years old to serve in the military, while the exemption of Haredim from service has been a subject of controversy for decades.

The ongoing Israeli war in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has heightened this debate, with secular parties in the government and opposition demanding that Haredim share the burdens of the war.

Successive governments since 2017 have failed to reach a consensus law on Haredi conscription after the Supreme Court overturned a law enacted in 2015 that exempted them from military service, considering the exemption to violate the “principle of equality.”

Since then, the Knesset has been extending their exemption from service, and by the end of March, the government's order to postpone the implementation of mandatory conscription for Haredim expires.

On March 28, the Israeli Attorney General, Gali Baharav Miara, sent a letter to the Supreme Court demanding the conscription of Haredim starting from the first Monday of April end.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala