A wave of arrests of yeshiva bochurim took place in Beit Shemesh overnight Monday, with two bochurim stopped by an Israel Police officer and handed over to the military police, and another bochur arrested at his home by the military police.

The first incident took place when an Israel Police officer stopped two Chassidish bochurim for a routine check. When he realized they were designated as “draft dodgers,” he summoned the military police, who arrested the two and transferred them to military prison.

A source familiar with the details said that the initial arrest of the bochurim was carried out without any cause, and the entire incident was the private initiative of a local officer who acted contrary to police guidelines. According to the source, it is possible the officer knew there were military police officers in the area and exploited this fact to check the status of the bochurim he noticed.

“The hatred from the media is trickling down into the police ranks,” the source said.

The detained bochurim are chassidim of Vizhnitz-Monsey and Toldos Avraham Yitzchak. One is a resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet, and the other is a resident of the Old City of Beit Shemesh. One of the bochurim is a yasom after losing his mother to an illness, and his father is currently abroad.

It was later reported that a third bochur, a Sephardi talmid of the Ateres Yaakov yeshiva, was arrested overnight at his home in the Old City of Beit Shemesh, and transferred to Prison 10.

According to a statement from the Am Kadosh organization, the detained bochur is Itai Chomri, 25, and he is being represented by Attorneys Shlomo Haddad and Itai Cohen, who will challenge the validity of his initial statement, which was taken before he could receive legal counsel. A hearing before a military officer is expected within the next few hours to determine the length of his detention.

Chareidi activists called the “handover” by civil police and the “home snatch” by military police a major escalation. In the wake of the arrest, protests will likely take place later on Monday in Beit Shemesh and other Chareidi cities.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)