A yeshiva bochur who is the grandson of a prominent rosh yeshiva was arrested near Ben Shemen Forest late Thursday night and subsequently transferred to the Military Police after authorities determined that he was classified as an army deserter, triggering protests and clashes near the Maccabim checkpoint.
The bochur was identified as Motti Mishkovsky, a talmid at Yeshivas Nesivos Yitzchok in Tel Aviv, headed by Rav Lau. Mishkovsky previously learned at Yeshivas Bais Mattisyahu.
Mishkovsky is a grandson of Rav Nosson Zochovsky, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov and chairman of the spiritual committee of the Israeli Yated Ne’eman.
According to the report, Mishkovsky was initially detained by Israel Police near Ben Shemen Forest. After authorities discovered that he was listed as a military deserter, he was turned over to the Military Police for his failure to report for army service.
News of the arrest prompted an alert through the “Tzeva Shachor” system, which is used to mobilize protesters following arrests of yeshiva bochurim over the draft issue. Because the arrest took place near Ben Shemen Forest, however, protesters were unable to quickly gather at the location itself.
Instead, the protest shifted to the Maccabim checkpoint, where demonstrations escalated into disturbances and confrontations with police.
The latest arrest comes amid an intensification of enforcement efforts against those who have failed to report for military service, with the status of yeshiva bochurim remaining at the center of the ongoing confrontation over Israel’s draft policies.
Just two days earlier, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called for the IDF and Israel Police to resume proactive enforcement operations and arrests against draft evaders from all sectors of the population, citing the principle of equal enforcement.
In a response submitted to the High Court, the attorney general’s office also acknowledged the particular difficulties authorities face when conducting planned arrests of Chareidi draft evaders because such operations frequently lead to large demonstrations and public disturbances.
The filing cited military and police officials as pointing to “the significant difficulty that currently exists in carrying out proactive operations and arresting draft evaders from the Chareidi public, in light of the large-scale disturbances that accompany them.”
{Matzav.com}
