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

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested in West Jerusalem on Thursday 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 people are taking part. KAN said it is one of the largest religious demonstrations in the country’s history.

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