Haredi Draft War on the Verge
Draft War Explodes: Why Haredi Jews Are Rallying by the Millions in Jerusalem | WATCH
Ultra-Orthodox Jews plan massive protest in Jerusalem against military draft law, sparking political tensions and counter-demonstrations amid controversy over conscription exemptions.
Tensions over mandatory military conscription have peaked, with the Haredi community launching a major protest movement coinciding with a critical discussion in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee concerning the draft exemption law.
The massive mobilization, dubbed an "Assembly of the Million," is scheduled to take place at the entrance to Jerusalem this Thursday, with Haredi newspapers calling on the community to turn out “as one man” against the “persecution of Torah students.”
Early Protest Draws Anger for Exploiting Hostage Symbols
The main demonstration follows a smaller, contentious protest held this morning outside Military Prison 10 against the arrest of Haredi draft dodgers (deserters).
The protest, organized by institutions affiliated with the Ateret Shlomo network, drew immediate condemnation from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Organizers sparked outrage by cynically using yellow symbols associated with the hostage cause, including balloons and posters designed in the style of the Hostage Forum’s campaign, to represent the arrested Haredi men.
The Hostages Forum issued an enraged statement, demanding that the organizers “immediately cease the degrading use of these symbols.”
“The yellow color and the symbols born out of pain, hope, and national unity have become a unifying symbol for the people of Israel on behalf of the hostages, not a tool for propaganda or political use of any kind,” the Forum stated. They accused the protest of “desecrating the moral necessity of returning our remaining sons for burial and debasing the pain of the families.”
Draft Law Sparks Political Turmoil
The mass protests are primarily directed against the government’s efforts to pass a new draft exemption bill, which has been fiercely resisted by the Haredi leadership. Reports suggest the proposed bill, which the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is set to discuss, may omit sanctions for non-compliance, instead focusing on "improvements" for the Haredi sector, a compromise rejected by some hardline elements.
The debate has split the political map:
"against those who do everything to sabotage, harm, and divide. On this point, I am with our Haredi brethren.”
“a demonstration against the State of Israel. Whoever supports it acts against the principles of Zionism and against the principles of the Likud. Without physical existence, there is no spiritual existence.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid attacked the Likud directly:
“The Likud has stopped being a national party; it has become a branch of the Haredim and Ben Gvir. In the government we establish, everyone will enlist, everyone will study core curricula, everyone will work. There are no rights without duties.”
Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, also joined the criticism, stating that the Likud is “sending our children to the war front with one hand and demonstrating for draft evasion with the other!”
The "Jerusalem Faction" and Shas Opposition
The controversy is complicated by internal Haredi rifts. While the mainstream is protesting the law, the radical Jerusalem Faction has voiced opposition to the Thursday rally, claiming it is too soft. They criticized the Haredi political leadership for actively promoting a law that includes quotas and sanctions.
Meanwhile, leaked recordings from the Shas Council of Torah Sages show top rabbis opposing any compromise on the draft law, insisting that any bill containing quotas or sanctions is "contrary to the Law of the Torah."
The "Reservists’ Party" has announced a counter-protest to be held simultaneously with the Haredi rally in Jerusalem, vowing:
“We will not abandon Jerusalem, we will not allow the Evasion Law to pass. We are being discharged and coming to fight on the civilian front.”