Drunkard who shoved officers arrested; dozens protest, thinking he was nabbed for draft-dodging — police

By Noam Lehmann 4 October 2026, 12:31 am

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Police say they detained a drunken man who shoved officers in the Haredi West Bank settlement of Beitar Illit, as dozens of locals tried to thwart the arrest because they were under the false impression that the man was being booked for draft-dodging.

The suspect, 20, attacked officers as they were responding to a report about another drunk man who was disrupting public order and assaulting passersby, police say.

The man who allegedly attacked police has been taken to a police station for investigation and officers were able to disperse the crowd, police say, adding that they will later determine whether to seek an extension of the suspect’s detention.

Haredi media says the arrest took place at the Min HaHar yeshiva in Beitar Illit, and that the person arrested is a student in the yeshiva. Ynet reports that the detainee has, in fact, evaded the draft, though that isn’t why he was arrested.

The JDN news site reports protesters set fire to a trash can and slashed a police vehicle’s tires. Footage from the scene shows Haredi men jeering and crowding around a police vehicle. A police officer can be seen in the footage shoving a protester.