Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews blocked major roads in Jerusalem on Sunday during renewed protests against compulsory military service, with Israeli police saying the demonstration escalated into a riot after participants refused to disperse.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that police deployed heavily across Jerusalem as demonstrators gathered at several locations and disrupted traffic.
Channel 12, citing police, said protesters ignored repeated instructions from an officer to leave the area, prompting security forces to intervene and clear the roads.
The protest came as tensions continued to rise over efforts to draft ultra-Orthodox men into the Israeli military.
Separately, Channel 7 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a closed-door meeting that anyone who neither studies the Torah nor serves in the military could face imprisonment.
Netanyahu reportedly said previous legislation suspending the arrest of draft evaders had failed to significantly increase ultra-Orthodox enlistment.
He added that new legislation would be introduced after the elections to address the Israeli military’s personnel shortages. Under the proposed framework, men who are not engaged in full-time Torah study would be required to enlist or risk imprisonment.
Sunday’s demonstrations followed similar protests in Jerusalem several days earlier, during which police arrested 63 ultra-Orthodox Jews, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The dispute over military conscription has intensified since Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that ultra-Orthodox men were subject to compulsory military service. The court also ordered the suspension of state funding for religious institutions whose students refused to enlist.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up roughly 13% of Israel’s population of more than 10 million. Many oppose compulsory service, arguing that full-time Torah study should take priority and that enlistment threatens their religious identity and traditional way of life.