Israeli police used water cannons to disperse protesters who took to the streets of Jerusalem to express outrage over the conscription of yeshiva students for military service.
The law enforcement officers reported that the participants of the rally behaved aggressively: they threw stones, attacked the cars of civil servants and the policemen. Protesters held placards reading “We will die, but we will not join the army” and “We will not join the enemy’s army”.
Protesters attacked Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldnopf’s car as he was driving home, and attacked the car of former Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman.
According to the police, several law enforcement officers were injured. To disperse the crowd, the police used water cannons with an unpleasant smell and horse teams. Five protesters were arrested.
As a reminder, military service in Israel is mandatory for most men and women. However, the ultra-Orthodox parties, which have considerable political influence, have succeeded in exempting their followers from service so that they can study in religious seminaries. In the context of Israel’s war with the terrorist group Hamas, this caused outrage in society.
