Protesters clash with Israel forces over draft into new Ultra-Orthodox military brigade

Large-scale protests broke out yesterday as Haredi demonstrators clashed with Occupation forces outside two Israel Defence Forces (IDF) enlistment centres, voicing fierce opposition to the drafting of ultra-Orthodox men into the military’s newly formed Hasmonean Brigade.

According to The Times of Israel, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered outside the Jerusalem recruitment office in the Romema neighbourhood, while a separate group demonstrated at the Tel Hashomer base near Tel Aviv. The demonstrations aimed to disrupt the conscription of approximately 70 new recruits to the brigade and an additional 110 older enlistees for its reserve unit.

Around 10,000 conscription notices have been issued to Haredi individuals over the past year, with only about 2 per cent responding. As new draftees arrived at Tel Hashomer, demonstrators were seen yelling at them, prompting security forces to escort the recruits through the crowd. Border Police clashed with several protesters and used force to maintain order, including shoving, dragging and, in some cases, kicking individuals trying to breach security lines.

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The protests, which blocked roads and paralysed parts of central Jerusalem, were accompanied by chants such as “Zionists are not Jews” and “We would rather die than enlist.”

The Haredi community, which accounts for roughly 13 per cent of Israel’s 10 million population, has continued to protest conscription following a Supreme Court ruling on 25 June, 2024, mandating their enlistment and halting funding for yeshivas (religious schools) whose students refuse service.

Haredim argue that Torah study is their primary duty and that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity.

For decades, Haredi men have evaded conscription at age 18, through repeated deferrals tied to yeshiva enrolment, until reaching the exemption age of 26.

The opposition accuses Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of pushing for a new law to restore Haredi exemptions to satisfy coalition partners Shas and United Torah Judaism, risking government collapse.

The draft-dodging comes as the Israeli army resumed its assault on Gaza on 18 March, shattering a 19 January ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Israel has killed more than 52,200 Palestinians in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Report: Majority of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews refuse army service