Around 40 ultra-orthodox Jewish draft-dodgers detained at Tel Aviv airport

Approximately 40 strictly religious Jewish men, identified as draft-dodgers, were taken into custody as soon as their plane touched down at Tel Aviv’s airport after a flight from New York. The men belong to the ultra-orthodox Chabad movement, which had announced a series of protests against the army’s conscription push. Military police, having received prior intelligence about the flight, sent extra units to the airport and escorted the detainees to a major recruitment centre outside Tel Aviv.

There, authorities said those who promptly volunteer for service and put on a uniform will receive a probationary sentence, while those who continue to refuse will be prosecuted and sent to a military prison. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu criticised the arrests as “harmful,” stressing that his Likud party depends on the support of religious factions in the imminent parliamentary vote. The army has alerted the Israeli police to possible large-scale demonstrations and urged heightened security measures. The incident underscores the persistent clash between the state’s need for soldiers and ultra-orthodox parties’ opposition to mandatory service.