Haredi extremists block roads in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv to protest draft dodger’s arrest
Mass demonstrations near entrance to capital and on Route 4 include violent clashes between cops and protesters, some of whom say they’d die rather than serve in military
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox men from an extremist sect clashed Wednesday with police and blocked major roads in Jerusalem, the Tel Aviv area and elsewhere, during rush hour, to demonstrate against the arrest of a draft dodger.
The man was detained by military police after he failed to turn up to an Israel Defense Forces recruiting office, according to Hebrew media reports.
The protest was called by the Jerusalem Faction, an extremist Haredi group that regularly holds protests, usually around the issue of the mandatory military draft.
The Haredi population of Israel overwhelmingly opposes performing mandated national civil or military service, seeing it as a way for secular forces to potentially draw away its members.
The Jerusalem Faction issued a statement naming the detainee as 23-year-old Shimon Gozlan from the central city of Bnei Brak, a student at the Ponevezh Yeshiva. The statement hailed him as a “prisoner of Torah,” decrying his “sinful arrest” and announcing the protest plan.
The demonstrators blocked the western entrance to Jerusalem, including the Chords Bridge junction and the light rail.
הפגנת הפלג הירושלמי בירושלים | תיעוד: שוטרים מפנים מפגינים תוך שימוש באלימות
https://t.co/01HaTBaid4 pic.twitter.com/806mwWLROL
— ערוץ 7 (@arutz7heb) September 13, 2023
Protesters also blocked the Route 4 highway near Bnei Brak, snarling traffic near Tel Aviv just as rush hour peaked. The masses blocked the key thoroughfare in both directions, as well as trains between the Em Hamoshavot and Geha junctions. Heavy traffic was also reported inside Bnei Brak.
After some time, police declared both protests a public disturbance and attempted to drag demonstrators off the roads.
In Jerusalem, police brought in a mobile water cannon vehicle to disperse the protesters, but some blocked and crawled under the water cannon to stop it from moving, and it was not employed, in the end.
Others held signs reading, “We’d rather die than be drafted,” or “War on the draft,” Hebrew media reported.
Mounted officers and Border Police forces arrived later and were seen arresting demonstrators and forcibly removing them from roads.
Footage posted on social media showed an officer hitting a Haredi man on the head, seemingly unprovoked, though the clip did not show what had happened earlier.
תוצאות ההסתה נגד החרדים נושאות פרי: בלש משטרה מחטיף לבחור חרדי במהלך ההפגנה בירושלים סתם כי משעמם לו pic.twitter.com/9xPo7vjpqn
— שלמה פולק (@shlomopolak580) September 13, 2023
Police in the capital eventually announced that the light rail had resumed operations throughout its line.
On Route 4, police officers were seen beating some protesters blocking a police vehicle.
תיעוד: מפקד יס"מ ירושלים חבט במפגין על הקרקע | ישיר מהמהומות בכביש 4https://t.co/vc5Z4v742r pic.twitter.com/ChT5pTxLFH
— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) September 13, 2023
There were also reports of violence by protesters against drivers and cops, as well as vandalism of cars.
In recent years, there have been several large protests against the IDF draft by the Jerusalem Faction, an anti-Zionist sect.
The drafting of ultra-Orthodox men into the military has long been highly controversial, and even more so in recent months, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government planning a law to facilitate increased exemptions for Haredim from military service.
The two Haredi parties in the coalition, United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas, have for weeks been threatening to topple the government if the military draft law is not passed as soon as possible, according to various reports citing anonymous officials.
However, a number of lawmakers from the premier’s Likud party reportedly objected to the potential legislation.
According to Hebrew media reports, Netanyahu has pledged to the ultra-Orthodox parties that a legislative memorandum for the draft bill will be previewed in the Knesset’s upcoming winter session in October.
The government’s tentative proposal would lower the age of final exemption from the army from the current 26 to 23 or 21.
While soldiers are generally drafted from age 18, many yeshiva students claim academic deferments and are thought to remain in religious study programs longer than they otherwise would, in order to dodge the draft until they reach the age at which they can be exempt permanently.
By lowering the permanent exemption age, some members of the government believe it would encourage those Haredi men to leave the yeshiva and enter the workforce at a younger age.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has long been reported to support reducing the age of exemption to 23, but on condition that another bill is passed that would give additional benefits to soldiers and veterans, handing combat soldiers and others in essential roles a significant pay raise, while soldiers in nonessential positions would serve less time.
Objections to the draft law have been heard from top military officials. Earlier this month, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said Israel must continue the so-called “people’s army” model — one in which all citizens are meant to serve in the military.
In 2017, the High Court of Justice invalidated a conscription law that gave sweeping exemptions to full-time religious scholars. A series of extended deadlines by which to legislate a new enlistment law expired at the end of July. In turn, Gallant ordered the IDF in June to not draft ultra-Orthodox men until March 31, 2024. By then, the coalition expects that a bill exempting the ultra-Orthodox will have passed.
Michael Bachner and Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
