Israel detains yeshiva students, sparking ultra‑Orthodox community panic

On the Sabbath preceding Shavuot, Israeli police and military police detained dozens of yeshiva students and first‑year secondary pupils in ultra‑Orthodox neighborhoods. The arrests prompted families to hide the youths in private homes to avoid police raids, and many parents rushed to yeshivot to collect their children.

The most publicised case involved a Belz army recruit in Kiryat Gat who was taken into custody after reporting a fight, despite a directive from Police Commissioner Danny Levy that anyone seeking police assistance should not be detained for draft‑evasion issues. After protests and intervention by UTJ deputy Yisrael Eichler, the detainee was released shortly before the Sabbath. Police reiterated the directive, urging the ultra‑Orthodox population to cooperate with law‑enforcement without fear of detention.