Tens of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews protest compulsory military draft in Jerusalem

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews on Thursday protested in West Jerusalem against compulsory military service, local media reported.

The protest was called by Haredi rabbis and Torah student councils against what they describe as "an attack on the identity of religious society and an infringement on the freedom to study religion", according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN. 

Anadolu reported that police estimate that hundreds of thousands of protesters are taking part in the protest, making it one of the largest religious demonstrations in the country’s history, KAN said.

According to The Times of Israel news site, 6,975 Haredi Jews have been declared draft dodgers in recent months, 870 of whom were arrested.