Protesters outside Prison 10 say the detained Haredi draft evader came to the IDF recruitment office seeking an exemption, according to journalist Eli Hirshman. Yeshiva students and several rabbis are rallying against his arrest.
The protest outside Prison 10 continues this evening, with demonstrators now stating that the detained Haredi draft evader came to the IDF recruitment office seeking an exemption from service, rather than to evade the draft. The protesters claim his arrest is unjustified. This assertion was first reported by journalist Eli Hirshman, who initially covered the rally at 18:53 Jerusalem.
The Zioneer first reported the protest at 18:53 Jerusalem, noting that yeshiva students and several rabbis had gathered outside the military prison. The initial report, citing Hirshman, indicated that the evader had come to the recruitment office to seek an exemption. Within the same bulletin, the desk identified the protesters as students from a Sephardic Haredi yeshiva and confirmed that rabbis had joined the rally. The source of the information has remained consistent throughout the evening, with Hirshman providing the primary reports.
The demonstration is part of a broader wave of ultra-Orthodox protests against military draft enforcement. As The Zioneer reported on June 17, extremist Haredim protested outside the Beit Lid military base, and on June 12, hundreds of Haredi protesters blocked police in Ashdod to prevent an arrest that turned out to involve a non-Haredi deserter. On June 18, Gur Hasidim celebrated outside Prison 10 after word of a release.
The identity of the detainee and the specific circumstances of his arrest remain unconfirmed. The claim that he voluntarily came to the recruitment office to seek an exemption has not been independently verified.
4 developments
- StrongShas MKs, rabbi join Haredi protest rally outside military prison over draft-evader arrest
- StrongExtremist Haredim protest outside Beit Lid military base against draft-evader arrests
- DevelopingRally outside military prison for draft-dodging yeshiva graduate draws MKs, rabbi
- StrongHaredi protesters block arrest of draft evader, police officer says he came alone
Source and signal
- Internal intake