The impassioned demonstrations by a group of haredim known as the "Jerusalem Branch" stretched into a second day on Wednesday, as the group expressed its fury over the arrest of a draft-dodging yeshiva student and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's statement Wednesday that he had issued instructions to look into the sanctioning haredim who refuse to enlist. Lieberman said he wanted to examine both the possibility of stopping the draft deferral arrangement and the flow of budget funds to the Maalot Hatorah and Grodno yeshivas, both of which are under the directorship of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach.
Credit: Mati Amar / TPS
Lieberman issued his instructions in response to the violent, inciting riots Auerbach's students held on Tuesday, during which some 50 protesters were arrested. The defense minister added that he was absolutely unwilling to allow the riots and the ferocious incitement against IDF soldiers to go unnoticed.
Lieberman said that the demonstrations, which denounced enlistment in the military and were intended to discredit the government's authority to enforce the draft, were unacceptable.
"We will not accept such events, which also try to intimidate those [haredim] who do want to enlist," Lieberman said.
The "Jerusalem Branch" responded to the minister's remarks with contempt.
"We've had all sorts of threats throughout the years," said Yeshayahu Wein, deputy editor of the haredi newspaper Hapeles and one of the heads of the Jerusalem Branch.
"Lieberman's threat is ridiculous and irrelevant, because 'Branch' students don't even show up at the recruiting office," Wein said.
The Jerusalem Branch demonstrated its disregard for the defense minister by continuing its protests on Wednesday.
Some protesters went so far as to attempt to block the Geha Interchange. Four were arrested. Police forces took control of the situation and proceeded to direct traffic.
Many of the protesters arrested on Tuesday were questioned and released. A total of 12 youths arrested at protests in Bnei Brak, who refused to sign release conditions, were let out of jail overnight Tuesday. They appeared in court on Wednesday and changed their minds, agreeing to cooperate and sign a pledge to stay out of Bnei Brak until the start of the Sabbath on Friday evening.
While most of the establishment haredi media ignored the protests, Shas party secretary MK Yigal Guetta spoke to Army Radio and said of the protesters: "We're talking about lawbreakers, and anyone who breaks the law must be brought to justice."
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו