Latest news with #ultraOrthodoxJews
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Israeli police scuffle in West Jerusalem
Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Israeli police scuffle in West Jerusalem NewsFeed A confrontation unfolded between ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and Israeli police in West Jerusalem on Wednesday. The ultra-Orthodox demonstrators were protesting the recent arrests of several men from their group for refusing military conscription orders. Video Duration 01 minutes 43 seconds 01:43 Video Duration 01 minutes 17 seconds 01:17 Video Duration 03 minutes 07 seconds 03:07 Video Duration 00 minutes 54 seconds 00:54 Video Duration 03 minutes 18 seconds 03:18 Video Duration 00 minutes 40 seconds 00:40 Video Duration 03 minutes 00 seconds 03:00
Bloomberg
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Netanyahu's Coalition Shrinks After Ultra-Orthodox Party Quits
An Israeli ultra-Orthodox party said it's walking out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, threatening to leave the government with a razor-thin majority in parliament. The United Torah Judaism party announced late on Monday it would quit in protest at a bill seeking to curtail the exemptions from military draft, long enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox Jews on religious grounds. Without the party's seven lawmakers — whose departure comes into force on Wednesday — Netanyahu will wield just 61 of the 120 seats in parliament, making him vulnerable to no-confidence motions.
Free Malaysia Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israel to issue 54,000 call-up notices to ultra-Orthodox students
Ultra-Orthodox Jews block a main road during a protest in Bnei Brak, Israel, opposing military recruitment and conscription. (EPA Images pic) TEL AVIV : Israel's military said it would issue 54,000 call-up notices to ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students following a supreme court ruling mandating their conscription and amid growing pressure from reservists stretched by extended deployments. The supreme court ruling last year overturned a decades-old exemption for ultra-Orthodox students, a policy established when the community comprised a far smaller segment of the population than the 13% it represents today. Military service is compulsory for most Israeli Jews from the age of 18, lasting 24-32 months, with additional reserve duty in subsequent years. Members of Israel's 21% Arab population are mostly exempt, though some do serve. A statement by the military spokesperson confirmed the orders on Sunday just as local media reported legislative efforts by two ultra-Orthodox parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition to craft a compromise. The exemption issue has grown more contentious as Israel's armed forces in recent years have faced strains from simultaneous engagements with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, and Iran. Ultra-Orthodox leaders in Netanyahu's brittle coalition have voiced concerns that integrating seminary students into military units alongside secular Israelis, including women, could jeopardise their religious identity. The military statement promised to ensure conditions that respect the ultra-Orthodox way of life and to develop additional programmes to support their integration into the military. It said the notices would go out this month.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
BBC Arabic apologises for claiming Jews spit on Christians in ‘holiday ritual'
The BBC has been forced to apologise following claims by its Arabic service that Jews spit on Christians in a 'holiday ritual'. Claims were made in a video released by the corporation alongside an article titled 'Sukkot: Spitting and Assault on Christians and Harassment of Muslims on the Jewish Holiday'. In the video, released in October 2023, a caption claimed observant Jews celebrated their religious holiday, Sukkot, in Israel by spitting on Christians. After the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera) complained to the corporation, it was quickly corrected to say: 'Some observant Jews consider spitting on Christians a holiday ritual.' However, it took 19 months for a formal response to be issued. In the correspondence, the BBC said: 'We apologise for the errors and thank you for your patience in waiting for this reply/confirmation of corrections that were made in October 2023.' The footage sparked outrage after ultra-Orthodox Jews could be seen spitting on the ground alongside a procession of foreign Christian worshippers carrying a wooden cross in Jerusalem. The spitting scene, captured by a reporter at Israel's Haaretz newspaper, showed a group of foreign pilgrims beginning their procession through the limestone labyrinth of the Old City. They were retracing the steps along the route they believe Jesus took before his crucifixion, raising a giant wooden cross. However, ultra-Orthodox Jews in dark suits and broad-brimmed black hats squeezed past the pilgrims through narrow alleyways, their ritual palm fronds for the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot in hand. At least seven ultra-Orthodox Jews spit on the ground beside the Christian tour group. A second BBC Arabic article, published on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 and titled 'The story of suicide bombers throughout history: from the fanatical Jews, through Assassins, to the Jihadists', linked 'fanatical Jews' to the US terror attacks. The article describes the Sicarii, a militant Jewish group active during Roman occupation, as the earliest example of suicide attackers. It then went on to link them to modern jihadist tactics. The Sicarii seized Jerusalem with other forces during the Jewish revolt in 70AD, before retreating to Masada. However, Camera complained and argued that while the Sicarii did commit mass suicide at Masada, they did not carry out suicide attacks. Camera wrote in a complaint to the BBC: 'Since the Sicarii's attacks weren't suicidal, and their mass suicide was not an attack, they do not fit a narrative about suicide attacks at all. Yet, they are the only ones labelled 'fanatics' and 'extremists' in the entire article.' The BBC executive complaints unit agreed the original article contained a 'material inaccuracy' after Camera made further complaints. In a ruling issued on April 10, they said: 'Although the Sicarii may have preferred suicide to capture, there was no evidence of their using suicide as a means of an attack.' The headline was changed to 'The Story of Suicide Bombers Throughout History: From Assassins to Jihadists'. Lord Carlile, the government's former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, condemned the piece at the time and warned the BBC about publishing 'deliberate and sometimes even casual anti-Semitism'. He told The Telegraph after the apology was issued: 'I'm glad they have apologised.' Camera also said there were six other complaints about BBC Arabic content that have not been resolved as of June 9. A Camera spokesman said: 'Having demonstrated such ignorance in covering Jewish affairs, it seems that part of the problem lies not only with the Arabic service's inability to respond to complaints on time, but also in the lack of training its staff undergo upon hiring.' Last month, the BBC announced it would appoint an independent figure to investigate its Arabic channel over repeated allegations of anti-Semitism exposed by The Telegraph. The Telegraph has previously revealed a number of BBC Arabic's contributors have posted anti-Jewish sentiments and expressed their apparent support for Hamas, both before and after the Oct 7 attacks. Speaking to Times Radio in May, Dr Samir Shah, the chairman of the BBC, said: 'The Arabic service, we are looking at it, we've been examining it. I think this whole business of how we've covered Israel-Gaza is a proper thing to examine thoroughly, which is why we're going to identify... we're going to get hold of an independent figure to look at our coverage.' A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC takes all complaints seriously and we have a robust process in place. 'We are committed to investigating complaints and responding to complainants swiftly. We apologise for the delay in these particular cases. 'When mistakes are made, we acknowledge them and make the appropriate corrections.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
14-06-2025
- Telegraph
BBC Arabic apologises for claiming Jews spit on Christians in ‘holiday ritual'
The BBC has been forced to apologise following claims by its Arabic service that Jews spit on Christians in a 'holiday ritual'. Claims were made in a video released by the corporation alongside an article titled 'Sukkot: Spitting and Assault on Christians and Harassment of Muslims on the Jewish Holiday'. In the video, released in October 2023, a caption claimed observant Jews celebrated their religious holiday, Sukkot, in Israel by spitting on Christians. After the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera) complained to the BBC, the caption was corrected to say: 'Some observant Jews consider spitting on Christians a holiday ritual.' However, Camera had to wait 19 months for a written apology to be issued. In the correspondence, the BBC said: 'We apologise for the errors and thank you for your patience in waiting for this reply/confirmation of corrections that were made in October 2023.' The footage sparked outrage after ultra-Orthodox Jews could be seen spitting on the ground alongside a procession of foreign Christian worshippers carrying a wooden cross in Jerusalem. The spitting scene, captured by a reporter at Israel's Haaretz newspaper, showed a group of foreign pilgrims beginning their procession through the limestone labyrinth of the Old City. They were retracing the steps along the route they believe Jesus took before his crucifixion, raising a giant wooden cross. However, ultra-Orthodox Jews in dark suits and broad-brimmed black hats squeezed past the pilgrims through narrow alleyways, their ritual palm fronds for the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot in hand. At least seven ultra-Orthodox Jews spit on the ground beside the Christian tour group. A second BBC Arabic article, published on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 and titled 'The story of suicide bombers throughout history: from the fanatical Jews, through Assassins, to the Jihadists', linked 'fanatical Jews' to the US terror attacks. The article describes the Sicarii, a militant Jewish group active during Roman occupation, as the earliest example of suicide attackers. It then went on to link them to modern jihadist tactics. The Sicarii seized Jerusalem with other forces during the Jewish revolt in 70AD, before retreating to Masada. However, Camera complained and argued that while the Sicarii did commit mass suicide at Masada, they did not carry out suicide attacks. Camera wrote in a complaint to the BBC: 'Since the Sicarii's attacks weren't suicidal, and their mass suicide was not an attack, they do not fit a narrative about suicide attacks at all. Yet, they are the only ones labelled 'fanatics' and 'extremists' in the entire article.' 'Material inaccuracy' The BBC executive complaints unit agreed the original article contained a 'material inaccuracy' after Camera made further complaints. In a ruling issued on April 10, they said: 'Although the Sicarii may have preferred suicide to capture, there was no evidence of their using suicide as a means of an attack.' The headline was changed to 'The Story of Suicide Bombers Throughout History: From Assassins to Jihadists'. Lord Carlile, the government's former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, condemned the piece at the time and warned the BBC about publishing 'deliberate and sometimes even casual anti-Semitism'. He told The Telegraph after the apology was issued: 'I'm glad they have apologised.' Camera also said there were six other complaints about BBC Arabic content that have not been resolved as of June 9. A Camera spokesman said: 'Having demonstrated such ignorance in covering Jewish affairs, it seems that part of the problem lies not only with the Arabic service's inability to respond to complaints on time, but also in the lack of training its staff undergo upon hiring.' Last month, the BBC announced it would appoint an independent figure to investigate its Arabic channel over repeated allegations of anti-Semitism exposed by The Telegraph. The Telegraph has previously revealed a number of BBC Arabic's contributors have posted anti-Jewish sentiments and expressed their apparent support for Hamas, both before and after the Oct 7 attacks. Speaking to Times Radio in May, Dr Samir Shah, the chairman of the BBC, said: ' The Arabic service, we are looking at it, we've been examining it. I think this whole business of how we've covered Israel-Gaza is a proper thing to examine thoroughly, which is why we're going to identify... we're going to get hold of an independent figure to look at our coverage.'
