JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters streamed to Jerusalem on Thursday in a show of force against military conscription, a hot-button issue placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition under increasing political strain.

The debate over mandatory military service, and those who are exempt from it, has long caused tensions within Israel’s deeply divided society.

Packed crowds, mostly men clad in traditional black ultra-Orthodox suits and hats, clogged the roads at the main entrance to Jerusalem, paralysing traffic. Israeli media estimated that around 200,000 people flocked to the demonstration.

‘YOU CANNOT FIGHT JUDAISM IN A JEWISH COUNTRY’

“Right now, people who refuse to go to the army are taken to military prison,” said Shmuel Orbach, a p

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