Haredi protesters plan demonstration on Highway 4 following arrest of draft dodger
A Haredi protest is expected to disrupt traffic near Bnei Brak as demonstrators protest the arrest of an ultra-Orthodox individual over failure to enlist in the IDF.
Dozens of Haredi protesters from the Jerusalem Faction plan to block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak on Monday afternoon, according to Israeli media. The demonstration is set to commence at 5:00 p.m. in opposition to the arrest of a Haredi draft dodger.
Protests against the military draft and the arrest of draft dodgers have been occurring frequently throughout the year, causing multiple public transportation routes and important highways to shut down. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara recently called for more arrests and stricter economic sanctions against draft evaders, warning that weak enforcement is undermining the draft process.
This has caused a shortage of potential recruits, resulting in unequal enforcement compared to the rest of the population. The Attorney-General's Office released a summary of a meeting on August 3, where the gap in enforcement was discussed. It was noted that fewer arrests lead to fewer prosecutions, and military officials confirmed that this gap harms effective draft enforcement.
Despite these issues, the review showed that Haredi enlistment has significantly increased over the past year.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
