Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews protest military draft in Jerusalem

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men covered the entrance to Jerusalem in a sea of black Thursday to protest plans to draft them into the military, singing, clapping and holding signs saying they would rather go to jail.

Deep divisions in Israeli society over the current draft exemption given to the ultra-Orthodox has emerged as the most serious threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

The embattled leader relies on ultra-Orthodox parties to keep his government limping along, but their attempts to pass a law to permanently exempt ultra-Orthodox Israelis from military service could sink his government and spark early elections.

Israel shut down the major highway at the entrance to Jerusalem and deployed more than 2,000 officers, as tens of thousands of of ultra-orthodox, known as haredim, thronged the streets. One teenager died at the largely peaceful protest after falling from a building under construction next to the protest, police said.

The protest largely crippled the city, with roads closed and public transportation halted by the massive crowds.

Roughly 1.3 million ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13% of Israel’s population and oppose enlistment because they believe studying full time in religious seminaries is their most important duty.

An enlistment exemption for the ultra-Orthodox goes back to the founding of Israel in 1948, when small numbers of gifted scholars were exempt from the draft. But with a push from politically powerful religious parties, those numbers have swelled over the decades. The court said the exemptions were illegal in 2017, but repeated extensions and government delay tactics have prevented a replacement law from being passed.

The broad exemptions from mandatory military service have reopened a deep divide in the country and infuriated much of the general public during the war in Gaza. Over 900 soldiers have been killed since the war began. Many reserve soldiers have served hundreds of days in multiple tours of duty, and the military has repeatedly sounded the alarm that more soldiers are desperately needed to meet Israel’s defense needs.

Tens of thousands of haredim gathered Thursday at the entrance of Jerusalem for a lively mass prayer rally as loud spiritual music blared on speakers.

Due to strict modesty observance that prohibits mixing between unmarried men and women, the protest was entirely male, except for a small, separated area set aside for women. Demonstrators chased a female newscaster from Israel’s Channel 12 who was attempting to report on the main protest.

Many protesters said they would rather die than go into the military, worried that the military will corrupt their strict religious traditions.

“An 18-year-old can be put in jail for wanting to dedicate his life to be a scholar and learn Torah exclusively,” Baruch Debchic said. "That is the very sad situation we’re in today.”

After several hours, police used water cannons to disperse protesters who refused to leave the streets.

The country's two ultra-Orthodox parties were an essential part of Netanyahu’s fragile coalition before they left over the summer in anger over proposed legislation on the military draft. However, they still often vote with Netanyahu, allowing his government to survive.

The insistence of the haredi leaders on passing a law codifying a permanent draft exemption could change that. The issue of haredi enlistment has forced several early elections over the past decade, said Lahav Harkov, a senior fellow at the think tank Misgav Institute for National Security

Elections are currently scheduled for next November, but it’s likely that Netanyahu could be forced to call early elections in the next few months.

The trigger for Thursday’s protest was the decision to bring the enlistment legislation for discussion in a Knesset committee next week, despite deep opposition to the bill, including from Netanyahu's own party. This is the first step before the bill can be brought to the general Knesset for a vote.

The haredi members of the Knesset have been unable to obtain the two things their community demands: a permanent draft exemption or increased budgets for their community, explained Shuki Friedman, vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, and an expert on haredi issues.

A series of Supreme Court cases have chipped away at the budget that allows haredi men to study full-time in exchange for a stipend from the state. So far the parties have located temporary funding as a stop-gap measure, but those stipends are increasingly under threat.

“This is a protest against the government, because it can topple the coalition, and against the opposition so they can show how much power they have,” said Friedman. "And within the haredi world they are worried about the internal pressure, so they are trying to give a show of unity,” he added.

Some voices within the haredi community are advocating for a pragmatic solution, including possibly allowing a small group of haredi men that are not studying Jewish texts full-time to serve in the military, but the protest is an attempt to give a united show of force against any type of compromise, Friedman explained.

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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Josef Federman contributed from Jerusalem.