Dozens break into Beit Shemesh police station after arrest of Haredi draft dodger

A large group of Haredi protesters broke into a police station compound in Beit Shemesh, rioting and clashing with police officers overnight Sunday, following the arrest of an ultra-Orthodox draft evader in the city.

The rioters threw stones, attempted to block a main highway, and set fire to nearby brush, as footage shared on social media showed a crowd of jeering ultra-Orthodox men hurling debris at the police station as others forced open the gate, allowing them to push their way in.

While the military and police have made no move to arrest all 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18-24 believed to be eligible for service, the detainment of even a small number of draft evaders has ignited anger and occasionally violence in the country’s Haredi enclaves.

In another video, police were seen pushing back a crowd of men who tried to force their way through another entrance to the compound.

The crowd began chanting “murderer! murderer!” as one police officer appeared to punch several protesters as he moved them away from the entrance.

Officers from the Israel Police Jerusalem District were deployed to the scene along with Border Police soldiers, forcibly dispersing the protesters, including with stun grenades and batons, Hebrew media reported.

אנרכיה בבית שמש: עשרות מפגינים קיצוניים פרצו לתחנת המשטרה בשל מעצר תלמיד ישיבה והעברתו למשטרה הצבאית. pic.twitter.com/t0drGs1rb5

— ישי כהן (@ishaycoen) June 1, 2026

Eight people were arrested on suspicion of rioting and assaulting police officers, the reports said.

The police later issued a statement saying they had regained control over the compound and were continuing to disperse protesters gathered in the surrounding streets.

דרמה: בעקבות הפרסום מאות מנסים לפרוץ כעת למשטרת בית שמש, במחאה על מעצר בחור הישיבה pic.twitter.com/K2jatdTamG

— יוסי פלד Yossi Feld (@Yossi_Feld) May 31, 2026

The Democrats chairman Yair Golan blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for the violent incident.

“The violence directed last night against the police station in Beit Shemesh is the consequence of the draft evasion law. When Netanyahu and Ben Gvir turn refusal to serve into a pillar of their coalition, the message to the streets is clear: draft dodgers matter more than police officers,” declared Golan.

For [Ben Gvir], and for Netanyahu, Israel Police officers are pawns that can be sacrificed in order not to upset ultra-Orthodox political wheeler-dealers. The rioters understand that they have political backing, and that attacking and assaulting those in uniform is permissible,” Golan said.

The incident occurred less than a day after a planned anti-conscription demonstration in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak by the Haredi Jerusalem Faction was postponed after the hardline group claimed that contacts with the IDF aimed at securing the release of incarcerated draft evaders were bearing fruit.

The IDF denied the Jerusalem Faction’s statement on Sunday, telling The Times of Israel that “contrary to what is being claimed, there are no negotiations taking place regarding the release of deserters and draft evaders from military prison.”

According to the Jerusalem Faction, six yeshiva students were arrested for draft evasion on Friday, three of whom were later freed, while the authorities attempted to arrest a seventh.

“If sufficient breakthroughs are not achieved, the protest actions will resume at full strength,” the hardline Haredi group said in a statement.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Agudat Yisrael MK Meir Porush appeared to call on police to refuse orders to arrest yeshiva students who disobey draft orders.

Last week, MK Moshe Gafni, the leader of the Degel HaTorah party, sent a letter instructing local party representatives on regional councils across the country to halt all cooperation with law enforcement.

The Israel Defense Forces recently warned of a steadily worsening shortage of combat soldiers in the standing military, high burnout among troops, and fears that the reserve army could “collapse” if necessary legislation to solve personnel shortages is not advanced by the government.