Thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Protest Military Draft Law and Arrests Near Jerusalem Prison

On Monday evening, thousands of ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered outside Prison 10 near Jerusalem to oppose the continued detention of draft dodgers and the failure to pass a military draft law regulating yeshiva students' service. The rally included the chairman of United Torah Judaism, MK Yitzhak Goldknopf, who warned the crowd, "The situation is collapsing, a disaster will happen here."

The Jerusalem District Police reported disturbances in several locations including Bar Ilan, Haim Bar-Lev Boulevard, and Beit Shemesh on Yehuda Hanasi Boulevard. Protesters threw objects, blocked roads and vehicles, and ignored police orders. Police forces, including border police, used crowd control measures after warnings to disperse the protesters and reopen the roads.

Israel Beytenu party leader MK Avigdor Lieberman condemned the riots, accusing draft dodgers of causing unrest and criticized Goldknopf for leading the protests. Lieberman vowed that in the next government, those who refuse to serve will not receive any state benefits.

Last weekend, extremist ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked Highway 4 near the Aluf Sadeh interchange to protest the arrest of draft dodgers. Police reported stone-throwing and minor injuries to officers, using mounted police to disperse the crowd and arresting two protesters.

Meanwhile, following a temporary injunction by Judge Ofer Groskopf freezing the draft law, the Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit announced that a nine-justice panel led by Deputy President Noam Sohlberg will hear petitions against the law concerning the freezing of draft dodger arrests.