Thousands of ultra-orthodox protest in Jerusalem against conscription

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox individuals have demonstrated against their conscription into the Israeli military, according to media reports.

Leading rabbis called for the protest in Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported on Tuesday. A speaker reportedly compared conscription to the Holocaust, according to the Times of Israel and the Israeli news site ynet.

For decades, strictly religious men in Israel were exempt from conscription, but this exemption expired about a year and a half ago. The Israeli government has not succeeded in passing a new law to cement this special status for the ultra-Orthodox.

Since then, there have been repeated large protests by strictly religious Jews against their conscription.

Many ultra-Orthodox individuals perceive military service as a threat to their devout lifestyle, partly because men and women serve together.

Dispute threatens Netanyahu's coalition

The army, meanwhile, has urgently warned of a drastic shortage of combat-ready soldiers, partly due to the prolonged Gaza conflict.

Many Israelis also feel it is unfair that ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from military service and dangerous combat missions.

The rally in Jerusalem was also directed against a new draft law intended to regulate the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox, which some of them feel does not go far enough.

The dispute over conscription for strictly religious men is also considered a threat to the survival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing religious coalition.