Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested in Israel on Monday against mandatory military service, blocking major roads, railways and public transport in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv area, the Associated Press reported.
According to police, demonstrators blocked key intersections, set cars on fire and attacked a soldier who got off a bus near a protest. Police used water cannon and mounted police to disperse the crowd.
The protests come amid a deepening dispute over the long-standing exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military service if they study at religious seminaries.
The issue has sparked growing public discontent at a time when the Israeli army is under severe strain due to simultaneous military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, as well as the war with Iran.
Every year, about 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the age of conscription, but less than 10% of them join the army, according to a parliamentary committee. Faced with a shortage of conscripts, the military is pushing for an extension of the mandatory service period. Currently, most Jewish men serve for nearly three years, followed by years in the reserves, and women for two years.
The dispute has put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition after ultra-Orthodox parties withdrew their support for the government, raising speculation that elections could be called earlier in the fall.
"This public is determined, they see this as a war for their lives," said Israel Tropper, a protester in Jerusalem. "From their perspective, joining the Israeli army means giving up religion... we don't want to give up our religion, so from our perspective it's a war for our lives." He added that it was impossible to force tens of thousands of people who strongly oppose the idea to serve.
Some protesters carried signs with slogans such as "We would rather die as Jews than live as Zionists" and "We refuse to serve in the army in the name of the Zionist religion".
The ultra-Orthodox community makes up about 13% of Israel's population and is the fastest-growing sector of society. Exemptions from military service have existed since the state's founding in 1948. The Supreme Court declared them illegal in 2017, but they have remained in place through subsequent extensions. While for most Israelis, military service is an important social and cultural milestone, many ultra-Orthodox families fear that it would expose young men to secular influences.