Dozens of ultra-Orthodox extremists in Israel staged a violent riot outside the home of a top judge on Wednesday night in protest against the country’s military draft, shocking many Israelis and adding to a fraught atmosphere ahead of national elections.
The police said on Thursday that 65 of the protesters were detained for questioning. The rioters damaged property at the home of Supreme Court justice, Noam Sohlberg, in Alon Shvut, a West Bank settlement, police said, though no injuries were reported.
It was unclear why that particular judge’s house was targeted, but it was the Supreme Court that had issued a ruling two years ago, formally ending the decades-long military draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, known in Hebrew as Haredim. Despite the court ruling, most Haredi men still do not show up for service.
The exemption is one of the most contentious issues dividing Israelis after nearly three years of war in the region. It is also expected to be a major issue during elections set to take place this fall.
Military service is compulsory for most Israelis when they turn 18. The war in Gaza, which was ignited by a Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, along with a series of conflicts on other fronts, have increased the military’s demand for more soldiers.
The exemption had been granted specifically to Haredi men who say they are engaged in full time Torah study.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence on Wednesday night. His office said in a statement that he had spoken with Justice Sohlberg and made it clear that he expects law enforcement authorities to take a hard line against the rioters.
Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing government relies on the support of ultra-Orthodox political parties. It has been unable to muster enough support to pass a proposed military draft bill that would encourage the enlistment of some Haredi men, but that critics say would effectively exempt the majority of them.
The Israeli military now says it is short of thousands of soldiers. Reservists have been called up repeatedly, often for hundreds of days of service at a time, fueling widespread resentment against the Haredim, who many Israelis say are dodging the draft and not sharing the national burden.
Since the exemption was lifted, small numbers of Haredi have since enlisted, but more hardline members of the community fear the military’s image as a melting pot of Israeli society, saying young ultra-Orthodox men who go into the army could come out secular.
The military has arrested small numbers of Haredim for draft evasion after they received call-up papers and ignored them.
Lately, some Haredi groups have escalated protests against the arrests, sometimes blocking major highways for hours. A few days ago, protesters stormed a police station in Beit Shemesh, a town near Jerusalem.
Two ultra-Orthodox parties that are part of Mr. Netanyahu’s governing coalition issued a joint statement condemning the violence outside Justice Sohlberg’s house. At the same time, they denounced what they called “the ongoing campaign of persecution and trampling of Torah scholars by the Supreme Court justices.”
“We have warned time and again that these measures would lead to radicalization and anarchy,” the statement added.
The riot outside Justice Sohlberg’s home comes against the backdrop of efforts by Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition to curb the authorities of the judiciary in Israel and concentrate more power in the hands of the elected government — another issue that has deeply polarized Israelis.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, spoke out last month against what he described as “a terrible process of brutalization” and thuggery creeping into Israeli society. He cited a surge of “mob” violence by Jews against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the abuse of detainees in Israeli custody, among other examples.
On Thursday Mr. Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, condemned the riot in Alon Shvut the night before.
Denouncing the attack on a judge’s home and family, Mr. Herzog called for unity and an end to political violence. “We are a step away from disaster.,” he said.
Isabel Kershner, a senior correspondent for The Times in Jerusalem, has been reporting on Israeli and Palestinian affairs since 1990.
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