Protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews against the conscription order in the Israeli army

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clashed with Israeli police in central Jerusalem on Sunday during a protest against Supreme Court order To start registering for military service.

Last week’s historic decision ordering the government to begin recruiting ultra-Orthodox men could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition as Israel. Waging war in Gaza.

Tens of thousands of men gathered in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood to protest the order. But after dark, the crowd made its way toward central Jerusalem and turned violent.

Israeli police said that the demonstrators threw stones and attacked the car of an extremist government minister, throwing stones at it. Water cannons filled with skunk-scented water were used, and police on horseback were used to disperse the crowd. But the demonstration was not yet under control late Sunday.

Military service is mandatory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have obtained exemptions for their followers to skip military service and study instead in religious institutes.

This long-standing arrangement has generated resentment among the general public, a feeling that has grown stronger during the eight-month war against Hamas. More than 600 soldiers were killed in combat, and tens of thousands of reservists were activated, turning their careers, businesses and lives upside down.

Ultra-Orthodox parties and their followers say forcing their men into the army would destroy their way of life that has been passed down through generations. Earlier Sunday, thousands of men gathered in a square and joined in a mass prayer. Many carried signs criticizing the government, with one reading, “Not a single man should be drafted.”

The ultra-Orthodox parties are considered key members of the ruling coalition headed by Netanyahu, and could force Israel to hold new elections if it decides to withdraw from the government in protest.

Party leaders have not announced whether they will leave the government. Doing so may be risky, given the decline in popularity for Netanyahu’s coalition since the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.