Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis protest military draft, chanting ‘better death than army’

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL 

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, took to the streets across Israel on Wednesday evening to protest the arrest of draft evaders and the government’s enforcement of compulsory military service.

Demonstrators blocked major roads in central, northern, and southern Israel, chanting “better death than the army,” as police clashed with protesters in several locations.

The demonstrations erupted after Israel’s military police detained three yeshiva students who had failed to enlist, Israeli Channel 10 reported.

The protesters gathered in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Safed, and Beit Shemesh, blocking traffic on major routes, including Highway 4 near Bnei Brak and Bar-Lev Street in Jerusalem.

Police said in a statement that “a violent, illegal protest is taking place on Highway 4 near Bnei Brak,” adding that forces were deployed to redirect traffic and clear vehicles.

Officers reportedly used force to disperse protesters as some threw stones at passing cars and blocked the light-rail tracks in Jerusalem.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, demonstrators in Bnei Brak chanted: “The army is worse than death. We’ll go to prison, not to the army.”

Israel Hayom daily reported that hundreds also demonstrated outside Military Prison No. 10 at the Beit Lid base near Kfar Yona, demanding the release of those detained.

The protests follow a June 25, 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.

Haredim, 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 Haredim to satisfy demands by the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, both of which left the coalition earlier this year but are expected to rejoin once such a law passes.