Ultra-Orthodox Jews block highway to protest Israel’s new mandatory military service ruling

Associated Press

BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP) — Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox  Jewish men have blocked a major highway in central Israel for two hours. They’re protesting a recent decision by the country’s high court ordering young religious men to enlist for military service. Protesters sat on the highway Thursday and lay on the ground as police dragged them away. Officers mounted on horseback charged into the crowd. Many demonstrators held signs and chanted “To prison! Not to the army!” It’s compulsory for most Jewish men and women to do military service in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions that allow their followers to study at religious seminaries instead. The broader public resents this, especially now during the eight-month war against Hamas in Gaza.