Defense chiefs condemn violent disruption of Bnei Brak conference for Haredi brigade

Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir condemned on Monday the violent disruption of an IDF conference a night earlier for the ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade.

Extremist Haredi protesters broke into a gathering held Sunday evening in Bnei Brak for parents of recruits to the newly formed brigade.

“Some of the protesters acted violently toward the brigade’s soldiers and commanders,” the military said in a statement about the incident late Sunday. The IDF said that police were called to the scene and managed to restore order.

“The IDF strongly condemns any act of violence against its commanders and soldiers,” it added. News outlets reported that two soldiers were lightly hurt in the clashes and that the brigade’s commander, Col. Avinoam Emunah, was escorted to safety by police amid the scuffle.

Zamir on Monday spoke with Emunah and expressed his backing for the unit’s commanders and soldiers, the IDF said.

The IDF chief stressed that violence against IDF commanders and soldiers crosses a “red line” and “has no place in Israeli society.” Zamir also highlighted the Hasmonean Brigade’s role in carrying out an “important, values-based and meaningful mission,” stressing the troubling nature of the clash at a time when the burden on both regular and reserve forces is especially heavy.

הפרגוד: בני ברק: העימות האלים בערב אבות של החיילים החרדים. pic.twitter.com/JOLtCjelNb

— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) January 11, 2026

Months of Haredi protests against military conscription have escalated in recent weeks, as the coalition faces heavy pressure to pass legislation regulating the issue, while the IDF continues to arrest ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers.

At a protest in Jerusalem last week, a Haredi teenage boy was killed when a bus driver drove into a crowd of protesters who had surrounded the bus and allegedly threatened him. Also, Sunday night, Haredi protesters clashed with police at several locations in Jerusalem and along a highway near Beit Shemesh.

In his own statement on Monday, Katz denounced what he described as an “extremist fringe” of Haredi protesters that broke into the Bnei Brak event.

“Harming security forces and IDF soldiers is an absolute red line — and we will not tolerate violence of any kind,” Katz said.

He added that the rioters have “much to learn” from the soldiers of the Hasmonean Brigade, who he said “represent a values-based integration of Torah study, contribution to the state and civility,” vowing that the brigade — and other units that integrate Haredi recruits — will continue to grow despite opposition from extremist groups.