Ultra-Orthodox Mob Storms Army Training Site in Bnei Brak
Some protesters got inside the building but apparently did not reach soldiers there, according to an Israeli news website. The site houses Kodkod, a program that prepares ultra-Orthodox Jews for software development and cybersecurity roles in the military.
Footage broadcast by Israeli media showed demonstrators clashing with police, who said they arrested two people. An Israeli daily reported it was the third attempt to storm the building in a week.
Political reaction was swift. Opposition Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman condemned the protesters, branding anyone who tries to storm an army base a “terrorist” and demanding their arrest and imprisonment.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, the ultra-Orthodox party’s chief, of encouraging draft evasion at the expense of those who serve. Bennett also vowed to redirect 30 billion shekels ($9.68 billion) in state funding from draft evaders to military service members after the Oct. 27 elections.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 14% of Israel’s population of more than 10 million. Many reject military service in favor of religious study, despite a June 2024 Supreme Court ruling requiring their conscription.
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