Police were called in to the predominantly haredi neighborhood of Meah Sharim in the capital on Sunday, after a soldier found himself surrounded by anti-Zionist extremists.
The soldier entered the neighborhood while in uniform, and had planned to shop for books in one of Meah Sharim’s many bookstores.
To his surprise, the soldier suddenly found himself surrounded by a group of anti-Zionist radicals shouting insults at him. Authorities were notified and dispatched a unit to extricate the soldier from the confrontation. The soldier was escorted to a police squad car and drive out of the neighborhood.
Earlier on Sunday, a conference organized by the Yerushalmi Faction was cancelled by the operators of an events hall in Jerusalem. The hall’s management said there were concerns the gathering could serve as a platform for incitement against religious soldiers.
The Yerushalmi Faction, led by Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, has organized a number of demonstrations against the draft law, and encourages followers not to recognize the authority of the army. Members of the faction are thus instructed not to seek deferments from army service as yeshiva students, but instead are to demand a full release from the draft, allowing themselves to be arrested if necessary.