Israeli settlers protest to demand Haredim conscription
Israeli settlers take to the streets to demand that the Israeli regime enforce the conscription of Haredi Israelis amid the ongoing war on Gaza.
Large-scale demonstrations erupted in multiple cities and settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling for the imposition of compulsory military service on the Haredim, a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance, and calls for the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the formation of a new government.
Israeli media reported that demonstrations kicked off on Saturday at the intersection of the "Ra'anana" settlement, north of "Tel Aviv", and at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the settlement of "Rehovot", calling for what they called "equality in bearing the burden of war" through the participation of the Haredi Jews in compulsory military service in the Israeli occupation forces.
Israeli media confirmed that protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway in central "Tel Aviv" on Sunday evening in protest against the Israeli government, demanding its overthrow.
Protesters from the families of Israeli captives set fires in front of the Ministry of Security in "Tel Aviv" and threatened to "burn Israel if necessary," while the occupation police arrested settlers during the demonstration.
Thousands took to the streets in Kaplan and in the occupied city of Haifa, where hundreds of people marched and reached the Horev Center in the city in a demonstration calling for progress on a deal to release Israeli captives and for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Media reports suggested that the protesters placed a model of a tank in Kaplan on the public transport route before the start of the demonstration, which led the Israeli occupation forces to intervene after arriving at the scene to remove the model after extensive talks with the demonstrators.
In "Caesarea", protesters chanted "guilty" in front of the Israeli premier's convoy, while about 2,000 protesters took turns blocking Rothschild Street, the main street in "Tel Aviv".
At the Karkur intersection as well, hundreds of protesters took turns blocking traffic.
Repeated demonstrations
A similar protest took place on Thursday, with thousands taking to the streets in separate rallies.
One demanded the immediate release of Israeli captives in Gaza, while the other called for the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jewish males into the army.
Protesters demanding the release of captives marched from a "Tel Aviv" square, holding photos of the captives held in Gaza and demanding that the administration make a deal with the Palestinian Resistance to immediately ensure their release.
In another protest, Israelis demanded that Netanyahu's coalition government abolish the exempt status of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from mandatory service with the Israeli occupation forces (IOF).
A total of 10,000 people took part in the demonstration.
Last week, confrontations between the IOF and Haredi Jews were renewed when hundreds protested and blocked roads in occupied al-Quds.
Chants such as "We'd rather die than serve" were repeated, while Israeli media reported intense clashes between protesters and Israeli police.
In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned a rule that exempted ultra-Orthodox men from the draft, citing the necessity for the cost of military service to be shared throughout Israeli society.
The Knesset failed to reach a new agreement, and the government's ruling on forced enlistment of ultra-Orthodox Jews ends in March.