"The police reacted quickly and decisively, discovering the building on which the mannequin was hanging and removing it… The doll was soaked in flammable liquid, probably in order to set it on fire later," the police spokesman's unit said.
Local media reports suggest that Mea Shearim neighborhood residents often protest in this manner against the service of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the army. One of the protests, apparently, included a mannequin.
בובה בדמות חייל תלוי הוסרה על ידי המשטרה בשכונת מאה שערים בירושלים @moyshis pic.twitter.com/jtIHf5u02c
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 2, 2018
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman commented on the incident on Twitter, calling it a "horrifying sight."
"My job as defense minister is to protect [everyone], including the instigators of such acts. [But] my job as a citizen is to fight against them politically. The authorities' job is to put them behind bars," he wrote.
מראה בובת החייל התלויה במאה שערים מזעזע. תפקידי כשר ביטחון להגן גם על מסיתים כאלה. תפקידי כאזרח להיאבק בהם פוליטית. תפקיד הרשויות לשים אותם מאחורי סורג ובריח. מצפה מראשי המפלגות החרדיות לגנות את המעשה
— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) March 2, 2018
The incident coincided with attempts of ultra-Orthodox parties, which constitute a significant part of the ruling coalition, to adopt a law on conscription that would equalize the study in yeshivas, Jewish institutions that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and the Torah, with military service and release seminarians from the military draft.
According to the Jerusalem post newspaper, disagreements on the issue in the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies may lead to the dissolution of the government and early elections.
