Protests against Military Service, Dozens of Ultra-Orthodox Jews Block Streets in Jerusalem

Illustration of the Israeli military. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF spokesman Unit)

Tens of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked streets in Jerusalem on Sunday during protests against compulsory military service, with Israeli police saying the demonstration escalated into riots after participants refused orders to disperse, according to Israeli media.

The protests come amid a massive deployment of Israeli police across the city, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

Israel's Channel 12, citing police, said the demonstrators ignored repeated calls from an officer to vacate the area, prompting police to intervene, quoted by Anadolu (3/8).

Separately, Israel's Channel 7 quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying in a closed-door meeting that anyone who did not study the Torah or did not serve in the military "would go to prison."

According to the broadcaster, PM Netanyahu said the law suspending the arrest of military draft dodgers had failed to increase registration among ultra-Orthodox Jews.

He added that after the elections, new laws will be introduced to meet the needs of the Israeli army's workforce, where anyone who does not study the Torah will undergo military service or face prison sentences.

The protests come days after Israeli police arrested 63 ultra-Orthodox Jews during a similar demonstration in Jerusalem, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

The dispute over military service has escalated since Israel's Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men must serve in the military and ordered a suspension of state funding for religious institutions whose students refuse to enlist.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13 percent of Israel's population of more than 10 million. Most oppose military service, arguing full-time Torah study should take precedence and conscription threatens their religious way of life.