Haredi leaders plan unprecedented protest over draft arrests

Senior figures in Degel HaTorah met Monday night to plan an unprecedented protest against the military draft decrees, involving tens of thousands of participants, according to Daniel Grovays of Kan News. Yeshiva head Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch said the idea was worthwhile, saying, “It is a good thing, there is room to do it so that they will see that something is being done.”

The planned action would send large vehicle convoys across the country toward the military prison, with flags and loudspeakers, in an effort to slow traffic and protest the detention of yeshiva students. The move has backing from senior figures across the Haredi political parties and different streams, and leading rabbis have approved it. It is expected to take place in the coming days, with Wednesday being considered the preferred date.

Grovays also published the full convoy-protest document that Hirsch approved and annotated by hand. Hirsch emphasized the phrase “police approval” for the protests and crossed out the line about receiving “positive media resonance,” saying, “There is nothing we can do that will be seen positively by the media.” Earlier Monday, hundreds of Haredim demonstrated at the Gilat Junction near Ofakim, blocked the main road, and protested the arrest of a yeshiva student draft evader by military police. The scene turned violent, and some protesters prevented cars from passing.