Haredim riot in Jerusalem as soldiers cross Mea Shearim
Police claim dozens set fire to trash bins, hurled stones in protest of haredi soldiers crossing ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. No injuries reported
Dozens of haredim rioted in Jerusalem on Sunday night while throwing stones and setting trash bins on fire.
According to the police, the trigger for the event was two haredi soldiers walking through the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim.
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Firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish the fire. Police forces claimed the rioters fled the scene
when they arrived.
Police: Rioters fled the scene when we arrived (Photo: Aaron Wahab, 24 News Agency)
Police also reported that the haredi soldiers, who allegedly triggered the riot, left the neighborhood unharmed and that no complaint was filed as of yet.
A firefighting commander told Ynet that "as of 11 pm, riots began in two spots in the neighborhood. We were called to handle burning trash cans and containers that were blocking some of the roads. There was no access to all bins due to the crowd of rioters. Some of the bins were taken away and the teams awaited police escort in order to act."
IDF officials warns of escalation
On Monday, IDF representative Brigadier General Gadi Agmon, head of planning in the IDF's Personnel Directorate warned the Knesset Committee for Equal Share of the Burden, of an escalation that would "intensify to the degree of physical injuries."
According to Brig. Gen. Agmon, "we are in the midst of a troubling trend of hurting haredim serving in the IDF. We are in the midst of a de-legitimizing campaign of the haredi society against those serving in the IDF."
The senior Personnel Directorate officer listed the actions against haredim serving in the army: "They go through severe harassment – they are taken out of the Minyan, are speech banned, and their kids are condemned in kindergartens." He stressed that "action is needed on the matter on the legal sphere as well, in order to secure the haredi soldiers who are an exemplary model."
The senior officer warned that in the next few days there would be an escalation in the actions committed against haredim serving in the military, "as almost happened on Sunday".
Last Thursday, some 30,000 haredim held a protest vigil in Jerusalem. The rally was held in protest of what they dub the "enlistment edicts," currently threatening yeshiva students. The protest's permit allowed for only 5,000. One policeman was moderately injured and five were lightly injured, and among protesters five were lightly injured. Eight protesters were arrested.
Moran Azulay contributed to this report
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