Thousands of ultra-Orthodox men demonstrate against the Israeli draft

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox men in Israel took to the streets on Wednesday to protest compulsory military service, with clashes with police breaking out, according to media reports.

Numerous demonstrators gathered outside a military prison near the town of Kfar Yona north-east of the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. They were protesting against the arrest of deeply religious draft evaders. In the morning, demonstrators had already blocked a main road in the greater Tel Aviv area.

In Israel, strictly religious men were long exempt from compulsory military service. This arrangement expired in 2024 and the government has since failed its attempts to extend it by law.

In April, the highest court in Jerusalem instructed the state to take concrete steps against draft evaders within a few weeks.

Since then, there have been repeated protests by ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.

Many of them see military service as incompatible with their religious way of life, partly because men and women serve together. However, the Israeli army has recently repeatedly warned of a serious shortage of combat-ready soldiers.