Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads ahead of court ruling on draft exemptions

Israeli police officers remove an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man from the street (Leo Correa/AP)

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked roads in Jerusalem on Sunday as Israel’s Supreme Court heard arguments in a landmark case challenging a controversial system of exemptions from military service granted to the religious community.

The court is looking at the legality of the exemptions, which have divided the country and threatened to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.