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Protesters block Jerusalem entrance roads over Givati soldiers' prison sentences
Protesters block Jerusalem entrance roads over Givati soldiers' prison sentences
JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated Mon, August 31, 2026 at 9:05 PM UTC2 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.- Dozens of protesters in Jerusalem demonstrate over decision to send Givati soldiers to prison, blocking traffic routes and disrupting daily life.
- Council of the Hesder Yeshivot defends soldiers, calls for IDF reforms, citing breach of trust with direct commanders and repeated conflicts between faith and loyalty to the army.
- Religious Zionist yeshiva council argues severe punishment imposed on soldiers does not match broader picture of situation, urges army to address issues with required seriousness.
During the protest, some demonstrators began intermittently blocking traffic routes in the area, including roads leading into the city, disrupting traffic and daily life.
Dozens of protesters demonstrated at the entrance to Jerusalem on Monday over the decision to send Givati Brigade soldiers to prison after they refused to deploy for an operational mission with a female medic in an armored personnel carrier, Israel Police said.
During the protest, some demonstrators began intermittently blocking traffic routes in the area, including roads leading into the city, disrupting traffic and daily life, Walla reported.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPolice officers worked to clear the blocked routes and direct traffic to restore public order, with the roads reopening within about two hours of the protest's start.
Religious Zionist yeshiva council backs soldiers, calls for IDF reforms
The Council of the Hesder Yeshivot defended the Givati soldiers, saying the incident was the result of a prolonged crisis over religious accommodations in the IDF, in a letter published by the council to yeshiva rabbis and students.
The council added that its review found the incident followed a breach of trust with direct commanders, which it said stemmed from failures to follow religious guidelines and military orders while presenting soldiers with a misleading picture of the situation.
(ILLUSTRATIVE) IDF reserve Infantry and Merkava Tank soldiers train in a military exercise in the Golan Heights on October 23, 2023 (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
"We call on the army to get to the bottom of the matter and address issues such as these with the required seriousness," the council wrote.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe council said the severe punishment imposed on the soldiers did not match what it described as the broader picture that emerged from its review.
According to the council, religiously observant soldiers serving in combat units have been repeatedly forced to deal with situations involving mixed-gender service that it said do not comply with Jewish law, their spiritual values, or the IDF's Joint Service Order.
"The fact that soldiers are repeatedly forced to choose between their faith and their loyalty to the army places soldiers in an impossible conflict that harms both the IDF and the soldiers themselves," the council said. "A functioning IDF must be based on trust."
The council said the soldiers involved in the incident belonged to an outstanding company that had fought bravely, suffered wounded soldiers during combat, and had already faced the complexities of mixed-gender service.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"Even if a mistake was made in the decision, it cannot be viewed as an isolated incident disconnected from the broader challenging reality," the council said.
This is a developing story.