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Israeli police officers disperse ultra-Orthodox Jewish men blocking a road during a protest against plans to require them to serve in the Israeli military, in Jerusalem

Video. Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox protest Israel’s military draft plans in Jerusalem

Updated:

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men filled central Jerusalem on Thursday to protest government plans to draft them into the military.

Chanting, clapping and waving signs saying they would rather go to jail, the demonstrators brought the city to a standstill.

Police deployed more than 2,000 officers and closed major highways as crowds flooded the streets. One teenager died after falling from a nearby building under construction.

The growing dispute over draft exemptions now threatens to topple prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition and could trigger early elections.

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