Haredi Orthodox Jews riot to thwart arrest of draft dodger

Dozens of demonstrators overturned a military police vehicle and threw rocks during the late-night protest.

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JERUSALEM (JTA) — Haredi Orthodox Jews rioted in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod when military police arrived to arrest a draft dodger.

Dozens of demonstrators overturned a military police vehicle and threw rocks during the protest between Monday night and Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported.

The military police had come to a haredi neighborhood in the city to arrest a man who failed to show up at an army induction center to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. Additional police forces arrived on the scene to extract the beleaguered officers and disperse the riot, the Israel Police said in a statement.

“The police view this incident with the utmost severity, and will use all the means at their disposal to locate those involved and bring them to justice,” the statement said.

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