Ultra-Orthodox Groom Arrested by Military Police During Post-Wedding Week

An ultra-Orthodox draft dodger was arrested on Sunday by undercover military police officers in Modi'in while walking with his new bride during their traditional post-wedding week. The plainclothes officers, wearing face masks to conceal their identities, detained the groom near a bank branch shortly after the couple stepped off a bus. The tactical disguise was employed following an incident three weeks prior in Modi'in, where a crowd gathered and briefly cornered military police during a previous attempt to apprehend the same individual.

The arrest immediately sparked sharp political backlash from ultra-Orthodox factions, who directed fierce criticism at the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Shas party issued a scathing condemnation, labeling the operation "brutal" and demanding the immediate release of the detainee. Shas lawmakers circulated a petition among Knesset members urging the IDF to free the groom so he could return to his wedding celebrations, describing it as a necessary step toward healing societal divides.

United Torah Judaism Chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf launched a blistering attack on authorities, placing direct responsibility on the prime minister. Goldknopf characterized the public arrest as "a new low in the witch hunt against Torah scholars" and a profound stain on a Jewish state, arguing that the ongoing pursuit of seminary students has crossed all boundaries of sensitivity.

Meanwhile, UTJ faction head MK Yaakov Asher contacted the defense minister to demand the immediate release of the groom. Asher criticized the operation as crossing into authoritarian tactics, stating that arresting a newlywed in the midst of his wedding celebrations displays a complete lack of human decency.