BICOM

Protests by several thousand ultra-Orthodox men in locations across Israel turned violent yesterday as they demonstrated over increased measures to draft ultra-Orthodox seminary students.

A Knesset committee is set to vote next week on recommendations over a bill to create a more equitable military draft system. 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. The protestors also demonstrated against a ruling this week by Israel’s High Court which halted state payments to an estimated 3,000 ultra-Orthodox seminary students who have not responded to military enlistment papers. In addition, protestors took exception to the arrest of a seminary student who this week refused to respond to a military call-up order.

Yesterday’s demonstrations took place in Jerusalem, Ashdod, Bnei Brak, Modi’in Illit and Beit Shemesh. In Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox protestors attempted to block traffic at the entrance to the city. Police dispersed the crowd with water cannons and several arrests were made for disturbing the peace. Traffic was briefly halted on Route Four near Bnei Brak and in Ashdod, several policemen were assaulted before a police patrol car was torched. In total, 34 arrests were made across the country and three police officers were wounded in the clashes.

Finance Minister Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party has spearheaded attempts to widen the draft, asked the ultra-Orthodox community on Israel Radio yesterday, “If you do not take on the duties, then why are you asking to get the privileges?”

Yesterday’s demonstrations were called by the hard-line Jerusalem Faction, which opposes any cooperation whatsoever with Israeli authorities over the military draft, as opposed to sections of the mainstream ultra-Orthodox leadership, which have reportedly had contact with the Knesset committee considering the bill. Haaretz says that beyond demonstrating against the draft, yesterday’s violent protests were part of a power struggle between ultra-Orthodox factions.