The opposition leader said that if they refuse to enlist ‘they should not receive budgets, they should not get passports, and they should not be allowed to travel to Uman (Ukraine).’
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Sunday to block government funding to ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredi) who refuse military service and halting the issuance of passports for them, Anadolu News Agency reported.
Speaking to Israel’s Army Radio, Lapid said, “The recruitment of Haredi is a matter of values, and they must enlist.”
“If they do not, they should not receive budgets, they should not get passports, and they should not be allowed to travel to Uman (Ukraine),” he added, referencing the annual pilgrimage ultra-Orthodox Jews make to celebrate the Jewish New Year.
Lapid’s comments came as clashes erupted between Israeli police and Haredi demonstrators in Tel Aviv.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the unrest followed the distribution of 1,000 new draft orders to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men by the Israeli army on Sunday.
Hundreds of protesters reportedly blocked Route 4 in all directions near Bnei Brak, a predominantly Haredi town east of Tel Aviv.
Demonstrators demanded the revocation of the draft orders, describing them as an “assault on their traditions and way of life,” according to Yedioth Ahronoth.