BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP) — Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men blocked a major highway in central Israel for two hours on Thursday to protest a recent Supreme Court decision ordering young religious men to enlist for military service.
Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won draft exemptions for their followers that allow them instead to study in religious seminaries.
This long-standing arrangement has bred widespread resentment among the broader public — a sentiment that has grown stronger during the eight-month war against Hamas in Gaza. Over 600 soldiers have been killed, and tens of thousands of reservists have been activated, straining careers, businesses and family lives.
Hey now. If you’re so adamant that Israel should be invoking divine retribution on these infidels, wouldn’t you want a piece of the action? It’s the Crusades 3.0!
That’s just the thing - the Ultra-Orthodox tend to be pretty cold towards the idea of Israel. Some theological shit about the messiah and the formation of Israel. The Ultra-Orthodox aren’t really ‘invested’ in the ideology of the current Israeli state, they just love having a government dependent enough on their votes to let them live out their traditionalist fantasies.
Then why (and I’m not trying to attack you, I’m genuinely curious) have we not seen anything about them protesting before? Because it didn’t directly affect them? Sounds pretty similar to most ultra-conservative groups, I guess.