Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men chase Israeli female soldiers
Two Israeli female soldiers had to be rescued after being chased by a crowd of hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv.
Video footage from the scene shows two women running through streets littered with rubbish and overturned garbage bins, surrounded by guards as a mob of screaming black and white-clad ultra-Orthodox men chase after them. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are also known as the Haredim.
The Times of Israel reported that the women were squad commanders at the education and youth corps who were on an official home visit to a draftee set to join the unit when they were attacked.
Israel has become polarised globally over its genocide in Gaza, but the war and need for fresh recruits have turbocharged a domestic divide in Israel over the military. Over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in the genocide.
“Absolute insanity today in Bnei Brak. Two female IDF soldiers made a house visit to a soldiers family in the ultra-orthodox city and a massive riot started,” Shaiel Ben Ephraim, an Israeli academic, wrote on X.
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"What we are seeing is Israeli society falling apart. Secular Israelis are increasingly militaristic and are focused on trying to force the ultra orthodox into the army…but compliance remains extremely low… Meanwhile, the protestors are increasingly alienated from a state they see as illegitimate and a betrayal of Judaism,” he added.
The Haredim comprise about 15 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, and are one of its fastest-growing demographic groups. They have long refused military service, and many rely on government subsidies in order to spend their time studying religious texts.
The issue of ultra-Orthodox military service has split Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Two parties that represent the community - United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas - were part of Netanyahu's government during the genocide in Gaza and before, though recent tensions over conscription saw both UTJ and Shas "half-resign" from the coalition.
Other ultra-Orthodox groups, such as Neturei Karta, do not want any role in the Israeli state at all.
"This is an extreme minority that does not represent the entire Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] community," Netanyahu said in a post on X following the confrontation.
"We will not allow anarchy, and we will not tolerate any harm to IDF servicemen and security forces who carry out their duties with dedication and determination.”
Footage from the confrontation, however, appeared to show wide-scale local support for the Haredim, who were filmed flipping over a police car to cheering crowds. Three Israeli police officers were also wounded.
Israeli riot police fired stun grenades at the crowd and arrested at least 23 people, according to Israeli media reports.
The debate
Secular Israelis and their parties on the left and right want to force the ultra-Orthodox to serve in the military like all other Jewish citizens.
Ultra-Orthodox enlistment in the Israeli army has been a complex issue in Israeli society for many years.
With the establishment of the state in 1948, Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, granted an exemption from military service to the ultra-Orthodox, but this was not enshrined in law.
Beginning in the 1970s, a public debate emerged regarding the enlistment of the Haredim into the army. As a result, over the years, several unsuccessful attempts have been made to enshrine the issue into law.
The beginning of the genocide in Gaza and the enlistment of hundreds of thousands of Israelis to participate in it led to a fiery debate on the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription.
Netanyahu's government failed to enshrine the exemption from conscription due to widespread public opposition, which also came from within his coalition.
In June 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled they could be conscripted, leading to mass opposition from the Haredim.
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