Dozens of Ultra-Orthodox Jews block Jerusalem roads in protest against military draft

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked roads in Jerusalem on Sunday during protests against mandatory military service, with Israeli police saying the demonstration escalated into a riot after participants refused orders to disperse, according to Israeli media.

The protests took place amid a heavy deployment of Israeli police across the city, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

Israel’s Channel 12, citing police, said demonstrators ignored repeated calls by an officer to clear the area, prompting police to intervene.

Separately, Israel’s Channel 7 quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying in a closed-door meeting that anyone who neither studies the Torah nor serves in the military “will go to prison.”

According to the broadcaster, Netanyahu said legislation suspending the arrest of draft evaders had failed to increase enlistment among ultra-Orthodox Jews.

He added that after the elections, new legislation would be introduced to meet the Israeli army’s manpower needs, under which anyone who does not study the Torah would either serve in the military or face imprisonment.

The protests came days after Israeli police arrested 63 ultra-Orthodox Jews during similar demonstrations in Jerusalem, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

The dispute over military service has intensified since Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men are subject to compulsory military service and ordered the suspension of state funding for religious institutions whose students refuse to enlist.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews account for around 13% of Israel’s population of more than 10 million. Most oppose compulsory military service, arguing that full-time Torah study should take precedence and that military service threatens their religious way of life.