Israeli police violently break up protest by Haredi Jews against conscription

Israeli media reported on Sunday that occupation police violently dispersed a demonstration by Haredi Jewish settlers protesting against the conscription law after they blocked Road 4 near Tel Aviv.

Dozens of Haredi Jews also protested in front of the occupying power's High Court in occupied Al-Quds, blocking the streets and expressing their rejection of the conscription law.

Released footage shows a Haredi Jew entering the Supreme Court and shouting: “We would rather die than be drafted.”

Haredim Jews blocked the streets of occupied Jerusalem and stormed the Supreme Court hall during a debate over whether to impose compulsory service in the occupying army on their ruler. #Israel pic.twitter.com/G93Fxmq19d

— Shanna Messaoudi (@Shanna_Bylka) June 2, 2024

The protests began on Sunday during a discussion of the petition against the conscription law before an Israeli court, which later announced that it “would not announce its decision today.”

In addition, an Israeli opinion poll found that about 65 percent of Haredim would support leaving the current governing coalition if conscription were introduced in religious schools.

⚡️ **Haredim take to the streets in ****#Jerusalem**** and Tel Aviv, where a court is hearing a petition against conscription** pic.twitter.com/1CBVutAUIO

— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) June 2, 2024

The ultra-Orthodox Jewish Haredi community has been at the forefront of anti-government policies since the introduction of a bill to conscript Haredim to fight in Gaza on “biblical-doctrinal” grounds. During their demonstrations, they frequently chanted the slogan: “We would rather die than enlist.”

In early May, members of the community set fire to the flag of the Israeli occupation forces while protesting against conscription policy in front of the military recruitment center in Tel Aviv.

In March, the Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Sephardic Church, Yitzhak Yosef, threatened a mass exodus from “Israel” if conscription was enforced. This sparked a major outcry within the already deeply divided state, which was brought back into the spotlight after the start of the Gaza war.

“We will buy tickets. There is no compulsion to join the army. The state supports it,” Yosef said, commenting on lawmakers' attempts to impose conscription on Haredim.

Read more: Lapid calls for Haredim to be called up and calls Netanyahu the “founder of lies”