'Rather die than be drafted': Thousands take to Jerusalem's streets in haredi anti-draft march

The march is taking place in the Kikar HaShabbat area, the along Shmuel HaNavi and Bar Ilan streets in the capital city.

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox (haredi) protesters took part in an anti-draft march in Jerusalem on Tuesday, welcoming home haredi draft evaders who were released from military prison.

The march is taking place in the Kikar HaShabbat area, the along Shmuel HaNavi and Bar Ilan streets in the capital city.

According to KAN News, the march was organized by the anti-IDF draft extremist haredi Jerusalem Faction (Peleg Yerushalmi).

Footage from the march shows protesters holding signs bearing anti-draft and anti-IDF sentiments, such as: “With all your soul, we will die and will not enlist;” “Release the hostages from Prison 10, who will never serve in the enemy’s army;” and “If I had to choose whether he would go to the army or die the way he died, I would prefer that he die.”

"We will not sacrifice our children at the altar of Zionism," read another.

Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot criticized the march in an X/Twitter post on Tuesday night, tying it to the upcoming elections.

"The upcoming elections are between a government of evasion and a Zionist government of the draft," Eisenkot wrote. "The State of Israel cannot afford another term of a government of evasion."

Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman also took to X to condemn the march.

“A welcoming parade for ‘released’ draft evaders is taking place in Jerusalem, as if they have just been released after three years of fighting in Gaza," he said. "These are Netanyahu’s partners. Without the draft dodgers, Bibi has no government.”

Bennett slams haredi parade of 'draft evaders, shirkers'

On Saturday, former prime minister and B’Yachad party chairman Naftali Bennett, Liberman, and Reservists-Economic Party head Yoaz Hendel criticized a march in Bnei Brak against haredi enlistment in the IDF, which they called the “parade of draft evaders and shirkers.”

The three linked the event to the election campaign and the ongoing dispute over the draft law.

Bennett also criticized Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, arguing that the continued participation of haredi parties in the government would lead to the allocation of additional budgets to a population that does not enlist.

“This is exactly what the elections are about,” Bennett wrote. “Under me, whoever does not enlist will not receive a single shekel from the state. What is not Zionist will not be at my expense.”