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“I call for restraint to prevent the mood from becoming further
inflamed so that, heaven forbid, we do not have additional
tragedies,” Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that the death
would be thoroughly investigated.
The incident on Tuesday evening killed yeshiva student Yosef
Eisenthal, who police said was 14. Video from the protest
obtained by The Associated Press showed the boy being trapped
under the vehicle while the driver continued to drive on for
several meters as onlookers jostled and screamed.
Police officers arrested and questioned the bus driver, who told
investigators he was attacked by protesters before his vehicle
hit the boy. Police said Wednesday that the driver's arrest had
been extended until Jan. 15. He has not yet been charged.
Protesters had been blocking the road and acting violently
toward police officers, throwing eggs and other objects at them,
a police spokesperson said.
The violence reflected growing tensions between the Israeli
authorities and the ultra-Orthodox, known as Haredim, as the
government mulls plans to draft them into the military.
When Israel was founded in 1948, a small number of gifted
ultra-Orthodox scholars were granted exemptions from the draft,
which is compulsory for most Jews in the country. But with a
push from politically powerful religious parties, those numbers
have swelled over the decades.
There is support for rolling back the ultra-Orthodox exemption
among many secular Israelis, especially those who have served
multiple rounds of duty in the latest war between Israel and the
Palestinian militant Hamas group in Gaza.
Measures to draft the ultra-Orthodox have been met with staunch
opposition and occasional violence from religious protesters who
claim serving in the military will destroy their way of life.
The pushback has created a political problem for Netanyahu, who
relies on the support of religious parties in the Israeli
Parliament.
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