In Bnei Brak, anti-draft march became launch of Haredi party — Jerusalem Post

In Israel’s Bnei Brak, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men marched in support of 160 Haredim who served prison sentences in a military jail for draft evasion. The event also became the launch of the Haredi protest political party Tzeva Shahor, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing N12 News.

Launch of a political party

According to N12 News, the organizers did not publicize the political nature of the march because they feared that police or rabbinical authorities could stop it. Tzeva Shahor began as an alert network for opponents of conscription. It informed supporters about possible attempts by military police to detain Haredim considered to be evading service.

The movement calls these people “prisoners of the Torah.” According to the outlet, they were not detained during a special operation: the men were stopped when they tried to leave Israel for Uman to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov on Rosh Hashanah.

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Politicians’ reaction

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot called the march Netanyahu’s procession of shame. He said that under Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, draft evaders are heroes, and also accused the authorities of facilitating draft evasion, weakening security, and failing to act to detain evaders.

Eisenkot also said that in a month, the government he called a government of evasion would be replaced by a government of Zionist mobilization. According to him, it should pass a conscription law, strengthen the Israel Defense Forces as a people’s army, honor service members, and impose sanctions on draft evaders.

Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman supported Eisenkot’s position. He said that without ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, Benjamin Netanyahu would have no government, adding that soon their march would be held in the reserves.