Haredi protesters set to block major Israeli highway after draft dodger's arrest

Dozens of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters from the Jerusalem Faction (Peleg Yerushalmi) plan to block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak on Monday afternoon to protest the arrest of a haredi draft dodger, according to Israeli media.

The protest is expected to begin at 5:00 p.m.

Protests by the haredi community against the military draft and the arrest of draft dodgers have spurred numerous demonstrations throughout the year, resulting in the shutdown of multiple public transportation routes and key highways. 

A-G calls for renewed arrests

Earlier this week, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara called for renewed arrests and stricter economic sanctions against military draft evaders. She warned that weak enforcement against ultra-Orthodox men is undermining the draft process, ultimately leaving potential recruits out of the army and leading to unequal enforcement compared to the rest of the population. 

The Attorney-General’s Office released these findings in a summary of an August 3 meeting chaired by Baharav-Miara that reviewed the enforcement of draft obligations for the 2025 draft year.

Military officials said the gap is closely tied to who is actually arrested.

Criminal proceedings typically begin when enforcement authorities detain a draft evader or when the evader voluntarily reports to a military facility. Fewer arrests result in fewer prosecutions.

Baharav-Miara concluded that the current level of criminal enforcement does not satisfy the requirements of the state. According to the summary, military officials warned that this gap harms effective draft enforcement, leaving recruitment potential unrealized and resulting in unequal enforcement against different sectors of the population.

Despite these issues, the review noted that Haredi enlistment has increased significantly over the past year.