After the ceasefire with Gaza, internal tension is now being seen in Israel. In Israel, thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews have taken to the streets to protest against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. These people, wearing black clothes, held a rally in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest military conscription. These people are demanding a law guaranteeing the right to avoid compulsory military service in Israel. Netanyahu had earlier said that he would bring a law in this regard.
According to a report, a crowd of men wearing black hats set fire to pieces of tarpaulin, while hundreds of police officers cordoned off many roads in the city. The demonstrators marched on the main roads leading to Jerusalem, carrying placards condemning military conscription.
The Israeli government recently cracked down on hardline draft dodgers, issuing summonses to thousands of people and jailing many of the fugitives. Ultra-Orthodox Jews were very few in number when Israel was founded in 1948. Men who devoted their full time to studying the Jewish holy texts were exempted from compulsory military service. The exemption has come under increasing pressure since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, as the military struggles to recruit new recruits.
There has been long-standing debate in Israel about ending the exemption. Netanyahu has promised that his government would pass legislation to ensure the exemption, but has so far failed to do so. In July 2024, ministers from the ultra-Orthodox ruling party resigned from the cabinet over the issue, although the party did not formally leave the coalition.
