Ultra-Orthodox Israelis have intensified their demonstrations against military conscription requirements, with a deadly incident during a recent Jerusalem protest highlighting the escalating tensions surrounding the issue.
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered in Jerusalem on Tuesday to protest a law requiring them to serve in the military. The demonstration turned tragic when a bus struck a crowd, killing a 14-year-old boy who became trapped underneath the vehicle. Police detained the bus driver and launched an investigation into the incident.
Video footage showed the bus driving directly into the assembled crowd of ultra-Orthodox men. According to police, the driver claimed he was assaulted by rioters before the incident occurred. Officers said a small group of protesters had begun violently disrupting public order by blocking traffic routes, damaging buses, setting fires to trash bins, and throwing objects at police and journalists at the scene.
The protests underscore deepening divisions within Israeli society as the country faces ongoing military manpower shortages following two years of conflict on multiple fronts. Ultra-Orthodox party leaders have consistently opposed conscription of religious students who pursue full-time Jewish text studies. Under a system established at Israel's founding in 1948, these students have traditionally received exemptions from mandatory military service.
This longstanding arrangement has become increasingly controversial among other Israelis, particularly as tens of thousands of conscripts and reservists have been mobilized across several military fronts despite a fragile ceasefire that ended the Gaza conflict.
The ultra-Orthodox population comprises 14 percent of Israel's Jewish population, and keeping their political parties in the government coalition remains crucial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition survival. Netanyahu faces pressure from opposition members and some coalition partners to expand military recruitment, but he relies on ultra-Orthodox parties for his parliamentary majority.
A new draft law was proposed in parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee after a previous conscription bill failed to pass in July. The United Torah Judaism party, a major ultra-Orthodox faction, withdrew from the government over that failed bill, reducing Netanyahu's coalition to 60 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Ministers from Shas, the other significant ultra-Orthodox party, resigned from cabinet positions over the conscription issue, though the party has not formally left the coalition.
Mass demonstrations against the conscription law have become regular occurrences in recent months as the debate intensifies. These protests highlight the competing priorities within Israeli society between military necessity and religious community autonomy, a tension that has grown more acute as security pressures mount and the need for soldiers increases.