A growing internal disagreement has surfaced within the Gerer chassidus over how aggressively to respond to the arrest of yeshiva students in the ongoing draft controversy, with reports indicating a widening divide between the movement’s political leadership and a group of activists pushing for more confrontational protests.

According to Hebrew media reports, the Gerer political leadership worked behind the scenes to prevent Monday night’s demonstration outside the Tel Aviv home of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The protest came one day after thousands of Gerer chassidim gathered outside Military Prison 10 to demonstrate against the detention of a Gerer yeshiva student classified by the military as a draft evader.

While senior Gerer political figure Motty Babchik reportedly sought to calm tensions, the protest outside the attorney general’s residence was organized by an independent group of avreichim.

Channel 13 correspondent Yoeli Brim reported that the Gerer Rebbe himself instructed followers to intensify the demonstrations with the goal of “wearing down the police.”

The latest protest is said to reflect a broader internal struggle within the chassidus. According to the report, the Gerer political leadership has increasingly found itself at odds with large groups of avreichim who favor a far more forceful campaign and reject any discussion of compromise on the issue of the military draft for bnei yeshivos.

In a separate report, Kan News correspondent Daniel Groveis said the demonstration outside Baharav-Miara’s home took place despite the wishes of Gerer’s official leadership. According to the report, the protest was spearheaded by what was described as a “militant opposition” faction within the chassidus that is said to have ties to the Peleg Yerushalmi.