Mea Shearim Protests Arrest of Yeshiva Student for Ignoring IDF Draft

Photo Credit: Yonatan Sindel / Flash 90

At least four hareidi-religious men were arrested Sunday in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim during a demonstration protesting the arrest of a rabbinical student last week. The student refused to comply with his draft notice to enlist in the IDF.

Several hundred demonstrations gathered at the Kikar Shabbat intersection in the neighborhood at about 3 pm. The protest soon escalated, with demonstrators blocking traffic and hurling rocks at police officers who were sent to the scene.

Israel Border Guard police officers were called in to back up Jerusalem District police officers. Extra patrol units have since been deployed to the neighborhood.