Ultra-Orthodox Protest Against IDF Draft Blocks Major Highway

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked Highway 4 near Bnei Brak in protest against mandatory military service in the Israeli army. The Israeli police declared the demonstration illegal and warned of using force to disperse the protesters. Police closed the highway in both directions between the Aluf Sade and Umm Ha'Shavot junctions, redirecting traffic to alternative routes and urging the public to follow traffic updates and instructions. The protests stem from an ongoing dispute over the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into the IDF, particularly students of religious seminaries who have long benefited from deferments or exemptions from military service. The controversy intensified following a June 2024 Israeli Supreme Court ruling mandating the conscription of seminary students under the law, citing the absence of a legal basis for continued blanket exemptions. Since then, the draft issue has remained a point of political and legal contention in Israel, with some demanding military service for the ultra-Orthodox and equal burden-sharing, while segments of the ultra-Orthodox community maintain the primacy of religious study and oppose conscription. The issue continues to be a divisive topic within Israel, marked by ongoing protests and debate over how to implement the draft for seminary students.