Violent clashes broke out in Jerusalem between Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jews as thousands of Haredim protested against attempts to draft them into the army. (Updated 1 July 10:38 a.m.)
Clashes in Jerusalem erupted on Sunday, 30 June, according to Arab media. Protesters attacked the car of Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, accusing him of complicity in the Haredim draft.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the military must begin conscripting ultra-Orthodox men for military service. The ruling seeks to overturn the long-standing practice of exempting Jewish seminary students from conscription.
However, the decision threatens to destabilise the government, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s coalition is backed by religiously conservative parties, including Shas and United Torah Judaism. Both parties oppose the move.
Haredim make up nearly 13% of Israel’s population of about 9.9 million people. They do not serve in the army, devoting their lives to the study of Torah, Judaism’s holy book, in order to preserve the identity of the Israeli people.
However, Israeli law requires every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 to serve in the army. Meanwhile, the exemption of Haredim from military service has been a contentious issue for decades.
