Israeli police said Wednesday that they arrested three ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters following clashes in West Jerusalem during demonstrations against the detention of Haredi Jews opposed to military conscription, Anadolu reports.
The protests were organized in response to the detention of several Haredi men arrested last week after attempting to storm the home of Israeli Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Solberg in protest against the enlistment of yeshiva students — individuals who attend a traditional Jewish educational institution dedicated to the rigorous study of religious texts.
A police statement said that protests were held at several locations in Jerusalem, including the Russian Compound prison, where demonstrations escalated into public disorder.
Police said protesters blocked roads, disrupted traffic, assaulted officers, threw various objects, and refused to comply with police instructions.
Officers worked to reopen roads and disperse demonstrators using stun grenades and mounted police units, according to the statement.
Police said three suspects were arrested on suspicion of public disorder offenses and assaulting police officers and would be questioned.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that Haredi demonstrators gathered outside four prisons across the country to protest the transfer of suspects involved in the attack on Solberg’s home to the Israeli military.
The broadcaster said clashes broke out between protesters and police outside the Russian Compound prison in Jerusalem, while dozens of Haredi demonstrators also protested outside the Abu Kabir detention center in central Israel against the transfer of the suspects to military authorities.
Last week, Israeli police said they detained 65 Haredi Jews on Wednesday night and early Thursday after they attempted to storm the home of Solberg in the illegal settlement of Alon Shvut, southwest of Jerusalem, in protest against the conscription of religious seminary students.
READ: Israel: Haredi protests escalate with storming of military police chief’s home
The Haredi community has continued demonstrations against military service since an Israeli Supreme Court ruling on June 25, 2024, ordered their conscription and barred funding for religious institutions whose students refuse military service.
On Sunday evening, dozens of Haredi protesters stormed a police station in Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem following the arrest of a draft evader, with eight people later detained, according to Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
In late April, dozens of Haredi demonstrators entered the courtyard of the home of Brig. Gen. Yuval Yamin, head of the Israeli military police, in the southern city of Ashkelon to protest the arrest of draft dodgers.
Senior rabbis, whose rulings are widely regarded as binding religious guidance within the Haredi community, have repeatedly called on followers to refuse military service and even to “tear up” draft notices.
Haredim make up about 13% of Israel’s population of 10 million. Many oppose military service on the grounds that they devote their lives to studying the Torah and argue that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity and way of life.
The dispute over military conscription comes as Israel continues to mobilize hundreds of reservists while maintaining military operations and escalating tensions across multiple fronts, including Lebanon, Iran, the Gaza Strip, and the occupied West Bank.
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