Haredi Jews in Israel clashed with police during a protest against the Israeli government’s plans to mandate military service for their community.
Dozens of Ultra-Orthodox Jews clashed with Israeli police during a protest on Wednesday against plans to force them to enlist in the army.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said Ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredi Jews, gathered in front of the Israeli army’s largest recruitment centre in the Tel Hashomer area, near Tel Aviv, to protest recruitment plans, according to the Middle East Monitor (MEMO).
Dozens of ultra-Orthodox are protesting near the IDF enlistment center against efforts to draft Haredi community members pic.twitter.com/J3czvc2det
— RT (@RT_com) January 15, 2025
They closed a road and scuffled with police who declared the demonstration illegal and attempted to disperse them.
“Death is better than recruitment,” some shouted.
Backlash to Court’s Decision
In June last year, Israel’s Supreme Court mandated the drafting of Ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army and banned financial aid to religious institutions whose students refused military service, reported MEMO. The decision sparked backlash, with Israel’s former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef urging Haredi Yeshiva students to reject enlistment notifications.
In November, the Israeli Defense Ministry reportedly announced the drafting of 7,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli military.
Haredi Draft Continues – 7,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews Called to Service
Haredi Jews make up about 13 percent of Israel’s population of approximately 9.9 million and do not serve in the military, instead dedicating their lives to studying the Torah, according to the report.
Israeli law requires all Israelis over 18 to serve in the military, and the exemption of Haredi has been a contentious issue for decades.
Hundreds of Resignations
According to the Israel Hayom newspaper, approximately 500 officers holding the rank of major resigned from the Israeli army since mid-2024 causing a “critical personnel crisis.”
This exodus,” Israel Hayom reported in December, “has caught military leadership off guard and threatens force readiness.”
Combat Stress – Around 500 Israeli Army Officers Resigned in 2024
The report said the “crisis compounds an existing personnel shortage” noting that in 2022, “a record 613 majors left career service,” slowing down after the military onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023. Current trends suggest “even higher resignation rates” in 2025.
Ongoing Genocide
The ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has led to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. As the death toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to rise daily, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 46,707 Palestinians have been killed, and 110,265 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
MEDICAL SOURCE TO AL-JAZEERA: Around 50 Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza since this morning. pic.twitter.com/jjjPHxhGBA
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 16, 2025
The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.
Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.
The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.
(PC, MEMO)
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