A group of ultra-Orthodox Jews assault two Israeli army officers near Tel Aviv

The military had moved to Bnei Brak to discuss the implementation of military recruitment within this community.

16 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

A group of ultra-Orthodox Jews attacked two Israeli army officers in the city of Bnei Brak, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, on Monday night, amid tensions over the implementation of military conscription within this community, a highly controversial measure even within the government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to information gathered by the Israeli news portal Walla, the incident took place when David Zini, head of the Training Command, and Shay Tayev, head of the Ground Personnel Division, went to the site to discuss the creation of an ultra-Orthodox brigade within the Armed Forces.

After the attack, a group of ultra-Orthodox militants surrounded the officers, calling them “murderers” and throwing various objects at them, including bottles, as they headed toward their vehicles, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

The incident has been criticised by several ministers, including the head of the National Security portfolio, Itamar Ben Gvir, who said on his account on the social network X that the officers “are the most sacred of the sacred in Israeli society.” He promised that “the police will work to locate and bring to justice those responsible.”

In this regard, the Minister of Finance, the ultra-nationalist Bezalel Smotrich, has pointed out on his account on this same network that the event “does not represent even a fraction of the ultra-Orthodox population” and has advocated for “new frameworks adapted to the lifestyle of the ultra-Orthodox” in view of their entry into the Army.

Opposition leader Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and until recently a member of the war cabinet, has argued that attacking Israeli military officers “is not Jewish, is not Israeli and does not represent the majority of the ultra-Orthodox,” according to The Times of Israel.

“The extremist discourse that is taking over Israeli society is dangerous and deserves clear and unequivocal condemnation by all leaders, but, more importantly, it must be uprooted. It is time to turn off the poison machines before disaster strikes,” he warned.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced last week that recruitment efforts for ultra-Orthodox Israelis will begin in August, amid an offensive launched against the Gaza Strip following the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions.

The announcement came after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in late June that there is no legal basis for ultra-Orthodox to be exempt from military service, amid tensions over the issue within Netanyahu’s coalition of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

The Supreme Court ruling also provides for a freeze on funding for Talmudic schools that do not comply with the enlistment regulations. The ultra-Orthodox sector considers military service incompatible with their life dedicated to religious study and fears that those who do it will distance themselves from their traditions and beliefs.