Thousands of young Israelis attended a draft-enlistment festival hosted by the ‘Yoter’ club, the IDF's benefits program for compulsory soldiers, run by the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers in partnership with the IDF and the Rothberg Foundation. The event was held simultaneously with ongoing ultra-Orthodox protests against military conscription across the country, as reported by Itai Gal-On (N12).
Thousands of young Israelis attended a pro-enlistment festival Wednesday evening organized by the Yoter club — the IDF's benefits program for conscripts — run by the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers in partnership with the IDF and the Rothberg Foundation, according to Itai Gal-On (N12). The festival took place concurrently with ongoing protests by ultra-Orthodox communities against mandatory military service, which have spread across the country in recent weeks.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday, most ultra-Orthodox draft protesters who were detained by military police in the latest enforcement round reported voluntarily at recruitment offices before being arrested during the induction process, according to Amit Segal (N12). Serious error in the arrests was assumed unless the arrests were intended to inflame public sentiment, Segal said.
The pairing of the enlistment festival with the protests highlights the deep societal divide over military service in Israel, a year after the government's push to significantly broaden ultra-Orthodox conscription sparked mass protests and repeated coalition crises.
- DevelopingMost draft protesters reporting voluntarily at recruitment offices, says Amit Segal
- DevelopingJerusalem 'Edah Charedit' joins protest against military enlistment, shutting down its kolels
- DevelopingChildren of foreign workers petition High Court for right to serve in IDF
- DevelopingOver 120 alleged draft dodgers assigned to Haredi tracks in IDF
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