Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protested in Jerusalem on Thursday over a court ruling that could end their exemptions from mandatory service in the Israeli military.
Carrying signs that read “to jail, not to the army,” they rallied in front of Israel’s military enlistment office. There were scuffles between police and some protesters.
Israel’s Supreme Court last month ordered an end to government subsidies for many ultra-Orthodox men who do not serve in the army.
The ruling could have far-reaching consequences for the government and the tens of thousands of religious men who refuse to take part in mandatory military service.
