Hundreds of yeshiva students gathered Thursday evening outside Military Prison 10 to protest the arrest of Aviel Cohen, an alumnus of the Be'er BaTalmud yeshiva. Cohen, described as a married ultra-Orthodox scholar, was arrested earlier in the week at the Gilat junction in southern Israel on suspicion of draft evasion and failing to report to the recruitment office.
The demonstration, identified with Shas, featured members of the Council of Torah Sages and party lawmakers. Speaking from the stage were Rabbi Yehuda Cohen, a member of the council, and Knesset members Michael Malkieli and Yoni Meshirki. The protest came amid a recent wave of arrests of yeshiva students.
According to reports, the arrest took place inside the Gilat gas station complex near Ofakim, by military police detectives, while Cohen was traveling with his wife. News of the arrest spread quickly in ultra-Orthodox communities in the south, and dozens of protesters arrived within minutes to block the main junction.
Cohen’s father described the arrest as a shock, saying, “My son is a yeshiva scholar who studies day and night. They caught him for no reason, without any shame, for Torah study. He is a righteous young man.” He added that Cohen’s mother is blind, and said his daughter-in-law was left stranded without a driver’s license. The rally also came after sharp criticism of police violence against ultra-Orthodox protesters in recent days. Shas faction chairman MK Yinon Azoulay said in the Knesset, “I condemn all violence, but what we saw today from the police is crossing every red line.” He added, “It is unacceptable for police to use disproportionate force against demonstrators.”
Thursday’s protest followed a large rally the day before by the Gur Hasidic movement outside Military Prison 10, where organizers said about 18,000 people attended. That protest was held after the arrest of a Gur Hasidic man from Ashdod, detained when he came to regularize his military status. Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism faction chairman MK Uri Maklev is promoting a parliamentary inquiry into police conduct during dispersal of anti-draft protests, with the proposal expected to reach the Knesset plenum next week and seen as having a realistic chance of passing.
