Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Block Highway in Rush-Hour Protest Over Draft-Dodger Arrests | Israel Politics Post
Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Block Highway in Rush-Hour Protest Over Draft-Dodger Arrests
Dozens of Haredi demonstrators shut down Route 4 near the Yavne Interchange after two yeshiva students were jailed for failing to enlist, reviving a fight the High Court has pushed the government to resolve for years.
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By Israel Politics Post Staff·Published
Traffic builds up as ultra-Orthodox demonstrators block Route 4 at the Yavne Interchange · Source: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90, via The Times of Israel
Dozens of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators blocked Route 4 near the Yavne Interchange during Sunday's rush hour, protesting the arrest of community members who had dodged compulsory military service, The Times of Israel reported. Police moved in to clear the road by force, reportedly using stun grenades as officers worked to push protesters off the asphalt.
Video circulating on social media showed frustrated drivers scuffling with demonstrators who had sat down in the roadway. Police urged motorists to take alternate routes while the highway was closed, and said the road reopened after roughly two hours with no arrests or injuries reported.
The protest, reportedly organized by the hardline Jerusalem Faction, followed the weekend arrest in Rishon Lezion of two yeshiva students sentenced to 20 days in military prison for failing to enlist. Ultra-Orthodox communities have long resisted army service on religious grounds, a standoff that has only sharpened since the High Court ruled in 2024 that there is no legal basis for blanket yeshiva exemptions.
Opposition figures were quick to tie the unrest back to coalition politics, arguing that the government's dependence on Haredi parties for its parliamentary majority has left enlistment enforcement stalled even as the court keeps pressing for it.
