Clashes Erupt in Al-Quds Over Ultra-Orthodox Conscription
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Clashes broke out in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Thursday between Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting efforts to draft them into the military.
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators threw stones and eggs at buses, prompting police to intervene with force and arrest several protesters, according to the local Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
The demonstrators blocked a street, chanted slogans against the army and police, and uprooted traffic lights, the newspaper reported.
Police said one officer was injured during the clashes, according to the report.
In June, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews must be drafted into the military and barred financial aid to religious institutions whose students refused to enlist.
Haredi Jews, who make up about 13% of Israeli regime’s population of roughly 9.9 million, traditionally devote their lives to studying the Torah and are exempt from military service.
Israeli law mandates military service for all citizens over 18, and the long-standing exemption for Haredim has been a divisive issue for decades.
