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Hundreds of thousands protest ultra-Orthodox military draft in Jerusalem
A huge rally took place in Jerusalem yesterday as the ultra-Orthodox community mobilised to protest against a draft law which would mandate ultra-Orthodox seminary students to enlist in the military or face criminal sanctions.
The proposed legislation, which passed a first Knesset reading in July, requires that all but 1,800 full-time ultra-Orthodox seminary students be required to enlist in either the IDF or civilian national service once they reach the age of 21. Two weeks ago, in a significant development, a Knesset committee headed by Jewish Home MK Ayelet Shaked approved placing criminal sanctions on ultra-Orthodox draftees who refuse to enlist. It is a measure vehemently opposed by ultra-Orthodox leaders and has been a bone of contention between coalition partners.
Last week, ultra-Orthodox factions united to call for a mass protest against the legislation, unusually calling for women to join the demonstration. Although there was no official head count, between 300,000-600,000 people are estimated to have joined yesterday’s rally which paralysed much of Jerusalem. Route 1, the main motorway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was closed to private traffic and around 2,000 busses brought demonstrators to the capital. Around 3,500 police were on hand and ensured that the demonstration passed off peacefully.
The protest itself consisted almost entirely of public prayers rather than speeches. Demonstrators carried defiant placards declaring, “We shall not surrender and we shall not bow down.” A statement on behalf of leading rabbis was read aloud, demanding “from the authorities that it not pass any law that injures Torah [ultra-Orthodox] students in any way” and ordered that, “no yeshiva [ultra-Orthodox] student should join the army … and they should not surrender to enticements or punishments.”
Meanwhile, Yesh Atid leader and Finance Minister Yair Lapid, for whom reforming the draft is a flagship policy, told Channel Ten, “the State of Israel can’t carry these people on its back without them taking part in military and civilian service and taking part in the labour force.”