Haredi Mayors Threaten to Cut All Police Cooperation Over Yeshiva Arrests

In an unprecedented escalation of tensions between Israel's Haredi leadership and law enforcement, the Forum of Haredi Municipalities has delivered a stark ultimatum to Police Commissioner Danny Levi: halt the arrests of yeshiva students for draft evasion, or face the complete termination of municipal cooperation with police forces nationwide.

The dramatic warning, conveyed in a sharply worded letter sent Monday by Forum Chairman and Beitar Illit Mayor Meir Rubinstein, threatens to dismantle decades of carefully constructed partnerships between Haredi local governments and the Israel Police. The letter, co-signed by all Haredi municipal leaders, represents one of the most serious institutional confrontations between the ultra-Orthodox community and state authorities in recent memory.

What's at Stake: Buildings, Programs, and Public Safety

The threatened measures would fundamentally alter the operational landscape for police in Haredi population centers. According to the letter, the Forum intends to cancel all existing agreements with the Israel Police, including the allocation of municipal buildings currently housing police stations, the termination of community policing initiatives, and the suspension of collaborative projects such as the "City Without Violence" program and welfare coordination efforts.

"The current situation, in which the police have become enemies of the Haredi sector and are conducting hunts for yeshiva students in city streets and on highways, does not allow us, to our great regret, to continue municipal cooperation with the police," the municipal leaders stated in their letter to Commissioner Levi.

The Forum also warned of a directive from rabbinic authorities prohibiting any contact between police and community leaders, and cautioned that the breakdown in trust would lead citizens to stop reporting crimes altogether. "This will result in actual danger to life," the letter emphasized, noting that residents would refuse to fulfill their duty to report incidents due to fear and mistrust of law enforcement.

The Attorney General's Role in the Crisis

The municipal leaders placed significant blame on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, describing her as "a disturbed official who has decided to ignite civil strife, to destroy the peace and status quo down to its foundations, and to consign decades of cooperation and joint responsible management between police and community to oblivion."

The harsh language reflects deep frustration within the Haredi leadership over what they view as a politically motivated campaign against their community. The letter noted that recent directives from the Attorney General's office have instructed police to transfer draft evaders to military police custody, fundamentally altering the relationship between Haredi citizens and civilian law enforcement.

"Your decision to arrest yeshiva students cuts off the basic branch of minimal cooperation with the entire sector," the mayors wrote to Commissioner Levi. "In this way, you are succeeding in leading the entire Haredi public, over one million souls, down the path of extremism."

Political Backing and Broader Context

The Forum's dramatic move comes with explicit political support from senior Haredi Knesset members. MK Moshe Gafni, chairman of the Degel HaTorah movement, has reportedly instructed party representatives in local governments to cease cooperation with police forces, lending significant political weight to the municipal threat.

The escalation follows a wave of mass protests organized by the extremist Jerusalem Faction (Peleg Yerushalmi), which has called for demonstrations across the country in response to what it describes as "the criminal ongoing detention of yeshiva students." The group has characterized the arrests as persecution of Torah scholars and called for "stormy protests" at multiple locations including Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Netivot.

According to the Forum's letter, the decision to publicize the ultimatum came after police failed to respond to initial private communications. "Since the notice to the Commissioner, the police have not officially announced that they will stop arresting Torah students and transferring them to military police," the letter stated, noting that this silence has led police to effectively stop accepting complaints from the Haredi public.

'Torah Students Are More Important Than Everything'

Mayor Rubinstein emphasized the gravity of the situation in his accompanying statement. "This is a difficult step, and if implemented, it will be very difficult to turn back the wheel and restore public trust in the police," he stated. "We call on the Commissioner to reverse course and stop the arrest of Torah students, who protect the people of Israel and the Land of Israel through their Torah study."

The Beitar Illit mayor made clear where his priorities lie: "Torah students are more important to us than everything, and if the police decide through their conduct to respond to the dictates of the Attorney General who persecutes Torah students, this is their decision to stop all cooperation with the Haredi public."

Rubinstein concluded with a stark warning about the practical implications: "Since this is the case, there is no longer a need to advance joint projects and allocate municipal areas for the police. I hope that the Commissioner will understand the significance of these moves and will stop the arrests of Torah students."