JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Clashes broke out Sunday between Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters outside a military recruitment office in West Jerusalem, amid rising opposition in the community against compulsory military service, Israeli media reported.

Police used foul-smelling water cannons to disperse protesters who attempted to block the road leading to the draft office, Yedioth Ahronoth daily said. One demonstrator was arrested during the confrontations.

Hundreds of Haredi yeshiva students also protested in the city of Kiryat Ono, near Tel Aviv, in an effort to prevent new recruits from reaching a draft office in the Tel HaShomer area, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported.

Tensions between police and Haredi protesters have escalated in recent months as the community continues to oppose military conscription.

The protests followed a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that struck down exemptions long granted to ultra-Orthodox men and barred state funding for religious seminaries whose students refuse to enlist.

Haredi, who make up about 13% of Israel’s population of 10 million, claim military service threatens their religious identity and community structure, as they dedicate their lives to Torah study. Prominent rabbis have urged followers to reject the draft and “tear up enlistment orders.”

For decades, most ultra-Orthodox men avoided service through repeated deferments for religious study until reaching the exemption age, currently set at 26.

Opposition lawmakers have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing legislation to permanently exempt the Haredi to satisfy demands by the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, both of which left the coalition last year but are expected to rejoin once such a law passes.

Criticism of Netanyahu’s government has intensified over the exemptions, as Israel’s military faces manpower shortages amid multiple regional conflicts, including the war in Gaza that began in October 2023, as well as hostilities involving Lebanon, Iran, Syria, and Yemen.