Clashes in Jerusalem: Ultra-Orthodox Protest Against Supreme Court Military Draft Order
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews fought with the Israeli police in the central part of Jerusalem on Sunday, protesting against the Supreme Court’s decision to start drafting exemptions for the Jewish manpower.
The ruling that was made last week whereby Jews of ultra-Orthodox origin are pressurized for the government to begin drafting them poses the index of virtually dismantling the governing coalition status of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
First, about fifty thousand ultra-Orthodox men convened in the neighborhood in response to the court ruling. In the evening, protesters got angry and started marching toward the central area of Jerusalem, which coincided with the night.
From the pages of Israeli paparazzi, it is singled out that rampagers pelted an ultra-Orthodox cabinet minister’s car with stones and attacked it with rocks.
As a result, the police employed water lances containing stinky water with a chemical smell like stunk, and police on horses tried to tame down the protesters. But by late Sunday, the situation was still very much out of hand.
Compulsory Military Service and Exemptions
Conscription is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in the country at the age of 18. However, politically powerful ultra-Orthodox political parties over the years ensured that their constituents did not serve in the army but studied in religious yeshiva instead.
The general public is feeling resentful towards the mosque after years of patronizing it, especially because of the eight-month war that occurred in Gaza. More than 600 soldiers have been confirmed killed in the fighting, and over fifty thousand reservists mobilized, their careers, commerce, and lives impacted.
The anti-military protesters, including the Ultra-Orthodox parties, claim that conscription of the men will obliterate the 180-year way of life they have enjoyed. In the morning, several thousand men gathered in the square, and they held banners for the prayers. Some of those banners were quite provocative, stating things like ‘no one male should be drafted.’
Political Implications
The ultra-Orthodox parties are part of the important mass within Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, and their possible exit to protest might lead to early elections. The parties’ leaders have not yet decided to leave the government; this can be considered a high-risk action, especially since the coalition’s popularity dropped after October 7.
The Supreme Court has also deepened the political conflict, raising doubts about the Netanyahu government coalition and further extending its consequences for Israeli society.
