At least 8 protesters arrested in Jewish orthodox protests over conscription
At least eight people have been arrested during clashes between Jewish ultra-orthodox protesters and police in Jerusalem.
Water canon and mounted officers tried to disperse the crowds when the rally turned violent.
Protesters blocked streets and threw stones….video footage showed several of the demonstrators being punched and kicked by officers.
The protest was prompted by the arrest of a prospective army conscript who had failed to turn up for recruitment.
Last week Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the country’s conscription law which until now exempt seminary students on religious grounds from being called up for military service was in fact unconstitutional.
Ultra-Orthodox seminary students have been largely exempt from Israel’s military draft since then-defense minister David Ben-Gurion exempted 400 students from service in 1949 on the grounds that “their studies are their craft.” Exceptional young artists and athletes are often granted exemptions by the Defense Ministry on the grounds that two or three years of military service could hold them back dramatically.
Most Jewish Israelis , men and women, are obliged to serve in the army for two years from the age of 18. ( Women for 24 months, men for 32 months)