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| Disputes between ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews have been becoming more frequent |
Ultra-Orthodox
Jews have clashed with police in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, near
Jerusalem.
One police
officer was slightly hurt and a number of Orthodox Jews detained, say reports.
The town
has become a focus of friction between secular Jews and ultra-Orthodox men
demanding strict gender segregation and "modest" dress for women.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to end attempts to enforce
segregation of the sexes.
The latest
clashes came as police attempted to remove one of several signs in the town
ordering segregation between the sexes.
Some 300
ultra-Orthodox residents pelted the police with stones and eggs, slightly
injuring one officer, and rubbish bins were set on fire.
A
television crew attempting to film in the town were also surrounded and
harassed - the second alleged attack in two days on journalists.
On Sunday,
a crew from Channel 2 news were attacked as they were filming, say reports,
with rocks allegedly thrown at their van.
The alleged
assault came days after Channel 2 aired a story about an eight-year-old
American girl, Naama Margolese, who said she was afraid to walk to school
because ultra-orthodox men shouted at her.
The
broadcast has inflamed secular opinion, with activists planning to hold a rally
in Beit Shemesh on Tuesday to counter what they say is intimidation by sections
of the ultra-orthodox community.
 |
| The case of Naama Margolese has shocked many Israelis |
Some
ultra-Orthodox Jews will also reportedly be joining the rally in an effort to
distance themselves from "extremists".
Unnamed
ultra-Orthodox activists from Beit Shemesh issued a statement condemning the
violence, but also accusing the media of initiating "deliberate
provocations in order to make the peaceful, quiet and tolerant residents, who
live their lives according to their beliefs, look bad".
Such
clashes have become more frequent in Israel in recent years as the authorities
have challenged efforts by ultra-Orthodox Jews to segregate women in public
places.
Other
recent points of contention include demands for separate seating areas for
women on buses and a recent case of some soldiers who refused to remain at a
performance by female singers.
Mr Netanyahu
has ordered a crackdown on segregation, saying harassment and discrimination
have no place in a liberal democracy.
Ultra-orthodox
Jews make up 10% of the population in Israel. The community has a high birth
rate and is growing rapidly.
The ultra-Orthodox make up 10 percent of Israel’s population of 7.5 million,but are increasing rapidly amid a growing backlash to the privileges and subsidies long granted to the ultra-religious.
(Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times)
(Rina Castelnuovo for The New York Times)
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