00:21This is not a scene from the battlefield, but it could reshape the war itself.
00:27In the heart of Jerusalem, roads blocked, protests erupting, and a growing questionâare
00:35Israelis refusing to fight?
00:37In occupied East Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox Haredi groups have taken to the streets, sitting
00:44on roads, blocking traffic, defying police ordersâall to protest one thingâmandatory
00:52military service.
00:53These are not isolated protests.
00:56This is part of a larger movementâone that has been building for months.
01:02Haredi demonstrators, dressed in traditional black, chanting slogans that make their position
01:08clearâTorah study over military dutyâa direct rejection of the state's call to arms.
01:14The immediate trigger?
01:17Reports that around 80 Haredi men were set to be drafted, assigned to combat support roles.
01:24For many Israelis, this is routine.
01:26But for the Haredi community, it's a red line.
01:29With Israel engaged in multiple conflicts, from Gaza to Lebanon, there is growing demand for
01:36equal participation.
01:38Secular politicians argue everyone must share the burden.
01:43But Haredi leaders see it differently.
01:45They say forced conscription is not just a policy shiftâit's a threat to their entire way of
01:52life.
01:52And the response?
01:54Mass resistance.
01:56Large-scale protests, sometimes described as a march of the million.
02:01Streets in Jerusalem brought to a standstill.
02:03Clashes with police.
02:05Arrests.
02:06Injuries.
02:08Authorities have declared these protests unlawful.
02:11Police have used force, including water cannons, to clear roads near recruitment centers.
02:16But the resistance continues.
02:19When the country is at war, questions about who serves and who doesn't can become deeply
02:25political.
02:27Tonight, the streets of Jerusalem are reflecting a deeper conflictâone not fought with weapons,
02:33but with beliefs.
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