30.10.2025 19:00
Tens of thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, gathered in West Jerusalem to protest mandatory military service. During the demonstration, train services were suspended and some roads were closed.
```html
Thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) protested mandatory military service in Israel. The address of the anti-mandatory military service demonstration, organized under the name "Million Man March," was West Jerusalem.
HAREDIS PROTEST MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE IN ISRAEL
In Israel, tens of thousands of Haredi individuals, who demand a law exempting them from military service and oppose mandatory conscription, began gathering at the Yitzhak Navon train station in West Jerusalem from various regions of Israel. Due to the demonstration of the Ultra-Orthodox, which was supported by many rabbis, train services in West Jerusalem were suspended.
TRAIN SERVICES SUSPENDED
On the other hand, the Haredim reacted to the suspension of train services from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem, which made participation in the demonstration more difficult. Additionally, some roads leading to West Jerusalem were closed to vehicle traffic as part of the measures to hinder participation.
In West Jerusalem, where life came to a standstill due to the demonstration, 2,000 police officers were assigned. It is reported that the demonstrations attended by tens of thousands of Haredim are the largest religious protest held in Israel in recent years.
"THE NUMBER OF PROTESTERS COULD REACH 500,000"
According to reports in the Israeli press, while the Israeli police expect 300,000 people to participate in the demonstration, Haredi sources stated that the number could rise to 500,000. The timing of the demonstration is noteworthy as it takes place during a crisis between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Ultra-Orthodox parties.
The Shas party, representing the Ultra-Orthodox, which had previously resigned from their positions in the government due to the failure to pass a law exempting Yeshiva (Torah school) students from mandatory military service, announced last week that its members had resigned from their coalition duties due to the unresolved issue.
DEBATE ON THE CONSCRIPTION OF HAREDIM
According to Israeli laws, everyone over the age of 18 is required to serve in mandatory military service, yet the exemption of Haredim from military service has been a topic of debate in the country for years. With the increase in the need for soldiers due to the rising aggressiveness in the region since October 2023, particularly in the Gaza Strip, the conscription of Haredim has come to the forefront.
The Israeli Supreme Court had ruled on June 25, 2024, that there was no legal basis for exempting Haredi men from mandatory military service and that those eligible for military service should be drafted.
Due to the failure to pass a law that would exempt Haredim from military service, Netanyahu's Haredi coalition partners began to boycott the Knesset, leading to a political crisis that escalated to a vote on the dissolution of the Knesset. Despite the unresolved issue, a sufficient majority could not be achieved in the dissolution vote.
The United Torah Judaism Alliance, formed by the "Degel HaTorah" and "Agudat Israel" parties, stated that the latest draft prepared by Yuli Edelstein, the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, did not meet their demands, and announced their resignation from the government with 7 members of parliament, thus leaving Netanyahu's government with 61 members. With Shas's decision to withdraw from the government, Netanyahu's government turned into a minority government.
```