Ultra-Orthodox 'mob' attacks Israeli army officers amid anger over draft

A group of ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews attacked and injured two senior Israeli army officers on Monday night, local media have reported, amid anger over plans to recruit young ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military.

Major General David Zini, head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps, and Brigadier General Shay Tayeb, head of the Ground Force’s Personnel Division, were in the ultra-Orthodox area of Bnei Brak, where they were due to speak about the recruitment of young locals into the military.

The ultra-Orthodox have been effectively exempt from conscription due to their status as religious students, much to the ire of secular Israelis who must commit to mandatory military service.

It comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the government must begin the recruitment of young ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the military, while leaders in the community say they will oppose the draft.

Zini and Shay were in the Tel Aviv suburb with Rabbi David Leybel, who supports the integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the workforce, when they were surrounded by a group of men who shouted "murderer" at them and pelted their car with bottles, Walla reported.

Many in the crowd were reportedly part of an ultra-Orthdox extremist activist group, which strongly oppose the draft and had mobilised to oppose the visit.

Shas, a party that mostly represents ultra-Orthodox Jews of Middle Eastern origin and opposes the draft, condemned the attacks on the three men and said they do not represent the views of most ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, from the Haredi United Torah Judaism party, also distanced himself from the group despite his strong views on the subject.

"There is no place for acts of violence that are completely contrary to our holy Torah," Goldknopf tweeted, according to The Times of Israel.

"Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace," he added, quoting a proverb.

The Israeli military is currently in talks with the heads of yeshivas (Jewish seminaries) to recruit some of their students, particularly those who have dropped out of studies.

The military is also considering the formation of another Haredi unit in the army, which could cater to the religious requirements of the recruits.

Some Haredi rabbis have urged students to ignore calls for their recruitment into the military and boycott the draft.