Thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox men battled with Israeli police in downtown West Jerusalem as they protested a Supreme Court order requiring them to begin enlisting in the military.
Tens of thousands of men gathered in an ultra-Orthodox area on Sunday to protest the edict. But after nightfall, the throng moved towards central West Jerusalem and became violent.
Israeli police reported protestors flung rocks and attacked an ultra-Orthodox Cabinet minister’s car, pelting it with stones.
The throng was dispersed using water cannons packed with skunk-scented water and police mounted on horses. However, the demonstration remained out of control late into the day. In Israel, the majority of Jewish men and women must serve in the military.
However, politically influential ultra-Orthodox parties have secured exemptions for their supporters to avoid military service and instead study in religious seminaries.
The long-standing arrangement has instilled anger in the general populace, which has grown greater throughout Israel’s eight-month conflict in Gaza.
Over 600 soldiers have died in combat, and tens of thousands of reservists have been activated, disrupting professions, businesses, and families.
Ultra-Orthodox parties and their supporters argue that requiring their men to serve in the army will undermine their generations-long way of life.
Earlier Sunday, thousands of men gathered in a square for mass prayers. Many people held banners condemning the government, including one that read “not even one male” should be drafted.
The ultra-Orthodox parties are essential members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition and might trigger new elections if they choose to leave in protest.
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