Tens of Thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Block Israel Roads and Trains Over Military Draft
Updated
Updated · NPR · Jun 2
Tens of Thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Block Israel Roads and Trains Over Military Draft
15 articles · Updated · NPR · Jun 2
Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox protesters disrupted transport across Israel on Monday, blocking roads and train lines in a nationwide demonstration against mandatory military enlistment.
The protests were driven by opposition to efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox men into Israel's military, a long-running flashpoint over exemptions for the religious community.
Cars were set on fire during the unrest, underscoring the scale and intensity of the demonstrations as they spread across multiple locations.
The transport paralysis highlights how the military draft dispute has widened beyond politics into a broader public-order challenge across Israel.
As a political crisis looms, will new elections finally force ultra-Orthodox men to serve in Israel's military?
Israel's military calls the draft an existential need, but why do protesters see it as a spiritual death sentence?