01.06.2026 22:11
Israeli police intervened with stun grenades and mounted officers in protests held by Ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse mandatory military service, primarily in West Jerusalem and several other cities. Protesters blocked roads, and 2 police officers were lightly injured.
Israeli police intervened with stun grenades against Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) protesting the detention of those refusing compulsory military service and enlistment, mainly in West Jerusalem and other cities.
ISRAELI POLICE'S HARSH INTERVENTION AGAINST PROTESTERS
Gatherers at Hamitarim Bridge, a key junction in West Jerusalem, protested yesterday's detention of 9 Haredi men in Beit Shemesh and compulsory military service.
The Haredi blocked traffic by closing the road, causing traffic in West Jerusalem to come to a standstill.
Israeli police used stun grenades to rescue a soldier caught among the protesters, while mounted police attempted to disperse those blocking the road.
The Haredi chanted slogans such as "we will stop the country," "this is only the beginning," and "we will die but not join the army" due to the detention of those refusing enlistment. Israel Hayom newspaper reported that 2 police officers were lightly injured in the clashes in West Jerusalem.
THEY BLOCKED THE ROADS
According to a report by Israeli state television KAN, protests were not limited to West Jerusalem, but high-participation demonstrations also took place in Safed in the north, Netivot in the south, and Bnei Brak in the central part of Israel. The report stated that in the Bnei Brak protest, demonstrators blocked main roads and the railway to passage.
Meanwhile, it was reported that 8 Haredi men who stormed a police station in Beit Shemesh were released due to insufficient evidence. Yesterday, in the city of Beit Shemesh, a Haredi man was arrested on grounds of being a draft dodger, leading to an attack on the local police station by Haredi individuals.
Israeli police used stun grenades and tear gas to prevent the Haredi from storming the police station.
On June 25, 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that there is no legal basis for exempting the Haredi from military service in Israel, where compulsory service applies to all.
Haredi parties in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government strongly opposed this decision and increased pressure to prepare a new compulsory military service law.
The lack of consensus on the said law had caused a political crisis in the country.