WATCH ultra-Orthodox protesters block highway over IDF draft

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters blocked traffic on a major highway near Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on Thursday, to oppose the conscription of Haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Military service is mandatory for most Israeli citizens, with men and women required to serve 24 to 32 months. While Haredi Jews had been exempt from service since the founding of Israel in 1948, the Israeli Supreme Court revoked their privileges in June last year. The ruling coincided with the IDF’s efforts to address personnel shortages amid its military operation against Hamas in Gaza. Haredi men began receiving conscription notices in August, but few have voluntarily enlisted, according to the IDF.

On Thursday, protesters affiliated with the Jerusalem Faction, a hardline ultra-Orthodox group, staged a sit-in on Route 4 near Bnei Brak. They blocked traffic in both directions and clashed with police who attempted to disperse the crowd.

The demonstrators chanted slogans such as: “We will die and not enlist,” and waved banners opposing military service. Protesters also hurled accusations at officers, calling them “Nazis,” according to police statements. The protest lasted several hours before the authorities cleared the highway by late evening.

Videos posted online show police officers and IDF servicemen dragging protesters off the road. No arrests were reported.

The protest occurred shortly after the IDF began recruiting for its new ultra-Orthodox unit, the Hasmonean Brigade. On January 5, the IDF announced on Telegram that it had enlisted around 50 Haredi recruits to form the brigade’s first company. Additional recruitment rounds are planned this month, with 100 more Haredi men set to join the brigade’s first reserve company.

Israel is home to over a million Haredim. Known for their men’s black attire and wide-brimmed hats, and women’s head coverings and long skirts, the Haredim strive to minimize contact with Israel’s secular Jewish majority. Many believe military service disrupts their Torah studies, prayer routines, and religious customs, such as avoiding contact with the opposite sex. The IDF has said it is adapting its policies and training bases to accommodate their way of life.

The government is finalizing a bill to regulate the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews. The draft reportedly increases the number of Haredim to be conscripted but exempts full-time seminary students from service.