The police handed over three yeshiva students classified as draft evaders on Tuesday night to the Military Police, and they were taken to military prison.
The arrests follow a policy change announced last week by Police Commissioner Danny Levy, who ordered officers who encounter draft dodgers to detain them and hand them over to the Military Police for further processing.
One of the arrests was made at 1:00 a.m., when a police patrol vehicle pulled over Yaakov Asban, a student of the Mishkan David Yeshiva in Jerusalem, as he drove near the community of Tel Tzion in the Binyamin region.
According to the police, Asban was stopped after driving wildly on Highway 60, zigzagging between lanes and seriously endangering his life and the lives of other drivers.
The officers ordered him to follow them to the regional police station in Sha'ar Binyamin. Upon scanning his license plate, they discovered that he was a draft dodger and handed him over to the military.
Asban asked his friend to come to the station to collect his car, but when he entered the station following the officers' request to take his friend's belongings, he was asked to provide ID, and was arrested as well for being a draft dodger.
Following the double arrest, the haredi alert systems called protesters to arrive at the Sha'ar Binyamin Station. However, before the protesters arrived, police managed to transfer the detainees to the nearby Anatot Military Detention Station. Upon arrival, protesters began to riot, and police responded with stun and smoke grenades, which, according to demonstrators, were aimed directly at them and caused injuries.
According to a statement by the police, "Dozens of rioters arrived at the Binyamin Station, who started a violent riot, which included turning over a police trailer, burning cardboard, bending fences, and damaging the police station's emergency exit."
At the same time, officers from the Beit Shemesh Police Station arrested Reuven Laminatzach, a student at the Kibbutz Givat Ze'ev Yeshiva, and handed him over to the Military Police as well. The detainees are expected to be transferred during the day to Military Prison 10 to stand trial.
It should be noted that until now, the police had refrained from arresting draft evaders, and the new decision marks a significant change that sparked sharp reactions in the haredi community.
Dozens of demonstrators also arrived on Tuesday night at the Kiryat Ata home of an IDF noncommissioned officer responsible for security at Prison 10, banged forcefully on the door, and caused damage to the entrance of the apartment.
The IDF stated: “Last night, several rioters arrived at the private residence of the Beit Lid base security NCO, while demonstrating and vandalizing the building’s entrance area. This is a grave and unacceptable incident. The Chief of Staff strongly condemns and views seriously any attempt to harm or intimidate IDF personnel who defend the state from carrying out their lawful duties. The IDF expects law enforcement authorities to act decisively against the rioters."