Haredim attack another soldier in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim
Yet another incident requires police intervention; ultra-Orthodox throw stones at a uniformed IDF soldier; he takes refuge in a store until the police rescue him; none of the assailants are arrested.
Another incident in which ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem attacked a uniformed IDF soldier was reported Friday afternoon when several citizens telephoned the police.
The crowd of Haredim was hurling stones at the soldier, who was walking in uniform in the Mea She'arim neighborhood. The Israel Police reported to the scene and located the soldier hiding in a shop with an ultra-Orthodox crowd outside shouting at him. The police retrieved the soldier unharmed.
The police commented that EMTs also arrived at the scene, but Haredim there tried to prevent the ambulance's reaching the soldier.
A police statement explained, "The police are investigating the incident and are working to collect evidence from the field. An initial investigation revealed that the soldier who went on Shabbat furlough to his home went to a neighborhood store with a relative. As soon as the ultra-Orthodox noticed him, they began to attack him."
The police emphasized that they continue "in the struggle against the trend that soldiers in uniform are attacked violently while walking in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods." Similar incidents have led the police to operate especially on days when soldiers are released home: mainly on Fridays in the afternoon, the police said.
It was also reported that the Israel Police "will not allow extremist elements to take the law into their own hands and harm people who chose to serve the country."
