JERUSALEM: Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, dressed in black, rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription, an issue that has caused major strain in Israel’s right-wing ruling coalition.
The vast crowd were protesting against the absence of a law guaranteeing their right to avoid Israel’s mandatory military service — a pledge long promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Crowds of men, many wearing black hats, set fire to pieces of tarpaulin as hundreds of police officers cordoned off several roads across the city, AFP correspondents reported.
Carrying placards denouncing conscription, demonstrators marched along main roads leading into Jerusalem.
The mass demonstration follows a recent crackdown on ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, with thousands of call-up notices sent in recent months and several deserters imprisoned.
