Ultra-Orthodox protesters block traffic at Jerusalem anti-draft rally

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men protested in Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon against mandatory military conscription for members of their community.

The protesters blocked Rashi Street near the Jerusalem military induction office, an Israel Police spokesperson said, adding that officers were at the scene to direct traffic.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the protest, though demonstrators brandished signs railing against conscription for girls.

The demonstration came after the High Court of Justice earlier this month granted the government a month-and-a-half extension to pass a contentious new bill on the military draft of ultra-Orthodox men.

Current regulations that allow ultra-Orthodox seminary students to defer their mandatory IDF service were set to expire at the beginning of the month, and without the extension, thousands of yeshiva students would have become eligible to be drafted.

The Netanyahu government had requested a four-month extension from the High Court, saying it needed more time to pass the enlistment law in the wake of Avigdor Liberman’s sudden resignation as defense minister. Liberman also pulled his Yisrael Beytenu party out of Netanyahu’s coalition, leaving it with the minimum majority of 61 out of 120 total Knesset seats.

The Defense Ministry-drafted bill sets minimum yearly targets for ultra-Orthodox conscription that, if not met, would result in financial sanctions on the yeshivas where they study. At the same time, it would also formalize exemptions for the vast majority of yeshiva students.

The ultra-Orthodox Knesset parties had opposed the Defense Ministry version of the draft bill and were seeking amendments.

Most in the ultra-Orthodox community eschew the mandatory military service that applies to Israelis, and the community has historically enjoyed blanket exemptions from the army in favor of religious seminary studies.

Last September, the High Court ruled that a 2015 version of Israel’s draft law granting most yeshiva students exemptions from service was unconstitutional, and gave lawmakers a year to institute new guidelines for ultra-Orthodox enlistment. The court later extended the deadline, giving the government until December 2 to pass an amended version of the enlistment bill, before again extending the deadline.