Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews block major roads in Israel to protest military conscription

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews demonstrated in central and northern Israel on Wednesday in protest of the arrest of draft evaders from their community.

The protests came as the Israeli army faces a severe shortage of soldiers amid its ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

According to Army Radio, protesters shut several roads in central Israel, including Highway 2 at the Netanya junction, Highway 4 at the Hasharon junction, and Highway 6 near the Nitzanei Oz settlement. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators also blocked the Baqa al-Gharbiyye–Jatt junction in the north.

They also protested near the Beit Lid military base in southern Israel and completely closed Jabotinsky Street in the city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv.

Israeli police said in a statement that its forces were seeking to redirect traffic to alternative routes and disperse the crowds.

In recent days, Israeli security forces arrested several ultra-Orthodox students, who evaded the draft, though no official figures were released.

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Haredi newspapers announced Thursday as a day of protest and “work stoppage” against what they called “the persecution of the world of Torah.”

Army Radio said that the military is facing a shortage of soldiers estimated at around 10,000–12,000, warning that the Haredi refusal to enlist is pushing the army to try exhausting every other option to refill its ranks.

Ultra-Orthodox communities continue to protest against military service following a June 25, 2024 Supreme Court ruling obliging them to enlist and prohibiting financial support for religious institutions whose students refuse to serve.

Haredi account for about 13% of Israel’s 10 million citizens. They oppose military service on religious grounds, arguing that studying the Torah is their primary duty and that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity and community cohesion.

For decades, Haredi men have received repeated draft deferments on the basis of religious studies until they reach the exemption age, currently set at 26.

The Israeli opposition has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to pass legislation exempting Haredi from service to satisfy coalition partners and avoid a government collapse.