Jerusalem Ultra-Orthodox Activist Attacked Outside Haredi Draft Conference Amid Political Tensions

On Tuesday evening in Jerusalem, dozens of ultra-Orthodox men from the Jerusalem Faction violently attacked an activist participating in a conference promoting Haredi enlistment, held on Jaffa Street. The assailants attempted to break into the taxi where the activist, one of the event organizers, had entered. Police intervened and rescued him from the attackers.

The conference featured retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter as a speaker. Earlier that week, on Sunday, Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of the United Torah Judaism faction, sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Goldknopf declared that his faction would only join a post-election government that formalizes the status of yeshiva students and Haredi scholars. He accused Netanyahu of lacking any intention to regulate the status of yeshiva students or pass a draft law, which was the reason United Torah Judaism left the government.

Opposition leaders also condemned Netanyahu’s statements, calling them political spin. Naftali Bennett, leader of the Yachdav party, accused Netanyahu of insulting the serving public by ignoring draft issues for four years and expecting forgiveness in 90 days. Bennett criticized Netanyahu for blocking Haredi enlistment, disregarding warnings from the IDF Chief of Staff and reservists’ calls for reinforcement. Additionally, Bennett called Shas leader Aryeh Deri anti-Zionist and noted Deri’s pride in his grandchildren being draft evaders.

In related legal news, the High Court of Justice issued a conditional order preventing the enforcement of a law that would freeze the detention of draft evaders, highlighting ongoing tensions around Haredi conscription in Israel.