Haredi protest shuts down highway after IDF announces first draft orders to be sent Sunday

Mob of extreme Haredis attacks car of high-ranking IDF officers in Bnei Brak

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After Israel Defense Forces announced that first draft orders for ultra-Orthodox men would be sent out next Sunday, Haredi men blocked a highway near the town of Bnei Brak in protest.

The IDF on Tuesday said it would begin “issuing summons orders… for screening and evaluation processes in preparation for the recruitment of the upcoming age group.”

“The orders were issued as part of the IDF’s plan to promote the integration of the ultra-orthodox sector into its ranks. The IDF works to recruit all parts of this society in light of the conscription obligation in the State of Israel, by virtue of being the people’s army and in light of the increased operational needs at this time, given the security challenges,” the IDF wrote in a statement.

After last month’s landmark high court ruling ending draft exemptions for ultra-orthodox men, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a week ago that the recruitment would begin soon, and that the government would also prepare an information campaign informing the Haredi community of service tracks that have been tailored to their religious needs.

After the IDF’s announcement on Tuesday, Haredis from the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak took to nearby Highway 4, a major highway in the greater Tel Aviv area, and shut it down during rush hour traffic.

The Israel Police announced it was redirecting traffic while clearing the Haredi protesters from the highway.

On Monday, a mob of radical Haredis surrounded and attacked the car of two high-ranking IDF officers who were in the city to consult with Rabbi David Leybel, a moderate ultra-Orthodox rabbi who supports Haredis entering the workforce.

Maj. -en. David Zini, head of the IDF Training Command and commander of the General Staff Corps, and Brig.- Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the Ground Force’s Personnel Division, are reportedly working to establish a Haredi brigade tailored especially to the needs of the ultra-Orthodox community.

After word of their presence in the ultra-Orthodox town spread, a mob of members of the extremist “Jerusalem Faction” blocked them from leaving, calling them “murderers” and shouting slogans like “we’d rather die than enlist.”

Despite fears in the government that the ultra-Orthodox parties would leave the government over the recruitment issue, Welfare Minister Yaakov Mergi of the Shas party said on Wednesday that they didn’t plan to do so at the moment.

During the “120 and 1” podcast, Mergi accused the Israeli judicial system of wanting to break up the government: “As long as all the decrees and sanctions are made so as to make us leave the government, we’ll stick with this government. We will not leave.”

“I am announcing this to the prosecutor’s office, the court, the legal advisors, all the troopers… We will not leave the government, because we have a responsibility to the country in time of war,” he added.