JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem on Sunday during a protest against a Supreme Court order so that they could register for military service.
Last week’s groundbreaking decision ordering the government to appoint ultra-Orthodox men could lead to the prime minister’s collapse Benjamin Netanyahugovernment coalition like Israel is waging war in Gaza.
Tens of thousands of men gathered in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood to protest the order, but after sunset the crowd moved toward the center of Jerusalem and turned violent.
Israeli police said protesters threw stones and attacked the car of an ultra-Orthodox minister by pelting it with stones. Water cannons filled with skunk-scented water and mounted police were deployed to disperse the crowd. But the demonstration was still out of control late on Sunday.
Military service is mandatory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions for their followers to skip military service and study at religious seminaries instead.
The longstanding arrangement has fueled public resentment, a sentiment that has intensified during the eight-month war against Hamas. More than 600 soldiers have been killed in combat and tens of thousands of reservists have been activated, upending careers, businesses and lives.
Ultra-Orthodox parties and their followers say forcing their men to serve in the military will destroy their generations-old way of life. Earlier Sunday, thousands of men gathered in a square and joined in mass prayers. Many held signs criticizing the government, saying that “not even one man” should be drafted.
The ultra-Orthodox parties are key members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition and could force new elections if they decide to leave the government in protest.
Party leaders have not said whether they will leave the government. That could be risky, as the popularity of Netanyahu’s coalition has lagged since the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.
