The convoy plan includes reaching the area of Prison 10, honking horns and displaying signs supporting arrested yeshiva students before returning to the original departure points.By Pesach Benson, TPSA nationwide Orthodox (Haredi) protest convoy is set to take place Wednesday afternoon, with organizers warning that thousands of vehicles will travel slowly along major highways in protest against the arrest of yeshiva students who refused to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).The demonstration, organized by activists affiliated with the Agudat Israel party, is part of the ongoing Haredi opposition to enforcement of mandatory military service requirements for Haredi men, who for decades received exemptions while studying in yeshivot, or religious institutions.Although legislation addressing the issue has not yet been passed, tensions have continued to rise following a series of arrests of Haredi men classified by authorities as draft evaders.According to organizers, vehicles will depart at 4:00 p.m. from 19 locations across the country.The convoys are expected to travel toward Prison 10, a military detention facility near Kfar Yona, where some of the arrested yeshiva students are being held.The protest is expected to continue until approximately 8:00 p.m., with police and transportation officials preparing for possible traffic disruptions on major routes.In a statement, organizers said the goal of the protest is the “immediate release of all Torah scholars,” an end to arrests, and the cancellation of what they described as “decrees against Torah scholars and their families,” referring to military enforcement measures.“We will not sit quietly while our brothers are behind bars for the crime of studying Torah,” the organizers said, calling on the Haredi public and its supporters to participate.The convoy plan includes reaching the area of Prison 10, honking horns and displaying signs supporting arrested yeshiva students before returning to the original departure points.Police officials said the protest had been coordinated with organizers but warned that participants would not be allowed to reach the gates of the prison facility.Protest vehicles are expected to be directed to a designated parking area outside Kfar Yona, where a rally can take place.The dispute over Haredi enlistment has also become a political issue ahead of the next national election.Israeli election authorities said Tuesday that police will not detain Haredi draft refusers on election day, a temporary decision aimed at preventing enforcement actions from interfering with voting rights for thousands of men classified as deserters.The Central Elections Committee said the moratorium was approved by committee chair Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Israel Police Chief Daniel Levy.“Given the importance of the right to vote,” the committee said, “every voter can reach the voting station without fear.”Officials emphasized that the suspension of enforcement applies only during voting hours and is limited to election day, with the aim of ensuring uninterrupted access to polling stations for all eligible voters.While no election date has yet been set, elections for the Knesset must be held by October 27, marking the end of the current four-year parliamentary term.The governing coalition has been strained by its failure to pass legislation addressing conscription exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students.An estimated 80,000 Haredi men eligible for military service have not enlisted. Coalition leaders dependent on Haredi political support have repeatedly struggled to find a compromise acceptable both to Haredi leadership and to Israelis demanding equal military service obligations.The military has begun preparations to conscript yeshiva students after Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that exemptions for the Haredi community were illegal.Military service is compulsory for most Israeli citizens. However, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and leading rabbis reached an informal “status quo” arrangement under which Haredi men studying in yeshivot, or religious institutions, were largely exempted from service.At the time, no more than several hundred men were studying in yeshivot.The post Israel braces for nationwide ultra-Orthodox protests over draft enforcement appeared first on World Israel News.