The Haredi population believe in big families and reject TVs, computers, and Zionism

The headlines declared it a holy war, an almighty stand-off between the city's religious and secular residents. For weeks West Jerusalem has been rocked by fierce street battles as ultra-religious Jewish protesters have clashed with police, resulting in countless injuries, dozens of arrests and thousands of pounds damage.

Protests first erupted over the opening of a municipal car park on Saturdays, seen as a desecration of the Sabbath. Then riots flared again at the arrest of an ultra-religious woman accused of starving her toddler son, which protesters viewed as heavy-handed police interference. These furious protests have been reported as the actions of a tiny minority, supporters of a violent and backward religious fundamentalism. The ultra-Orthodox counter that they have been cast as monsters, as usual – victims of religious intolerance.

"They lie to make us seem small and extreme," says Yoel Kraus, one of the demonstrators. "We are a quarter of the Jewish population here – and you can't fight that." Kraus, 37, is from Eda Haredit, an anti-state grouping within the ultra-Orthodox sector, which organised many of the recent protests in the city. In total, the ultra-orthodox sector – known as "Haredi" or "God-fearing" – forms around half of the Jewish population in Jerusalem. The recent clashes have taken place against the background of a rapidly expanding, low-income Haredi population perceived to be taking over the city.

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