‘Deterred’ by protests, IDF said to halt proactive arrests of Haredi draft dodgers
Police sources tell newspaper that arrest operations were suspended at the initiative of the military, which maintains that it’s continuing to seek detention of draft evaders
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The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police have stopped proactively arresting ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, according to Hebrew media reports this week.
Citing judicial sources, the Kan public broadcaster said the IDF and police have been “deterred” by mass demonstrations by ultra-Orthodox protesters that caused significant disruptions across the country in recent months.
Police sources told the Haaretz daily that the arrests were suspended in August at the IDF’s initiative, the same month when the last protest against Haredi conscription was held.
Police, who detain draft evaders at the IDF’s initiative, reportedly said they do not plan to soon resume the arrest operations.
The IDF denied to Haaretz that the enforcement operations were halted, saying Military Police continue to conduct arrests at border crossings and population centers together with the Israel Police. The military also insisted there was “equal enforcement,” despite figures showing most of those arrested for draft evasion have not been ultra-Orthodox.
Currently, approximately 80,000 Haredi men between the ages of 18 and 24 are eligible for military service and have not enlisted. The Attorney General’s Office has called for the state to strengthen its enforcement of draft orders, including arresting draft evaders.
In April, the High Court of Justice ordered the government to explain its failure to issue enough conscription orders to Haredi yeshiva students to meet the needs of the IDF, and its failure to enforce the orders it had issued.
The Israel Police subsequently announced in May that new orders had been issued to officers to detain draft dodgers and wait for the Military Police to pick them up.
The coalition sought in July to halt arrests of Haredi draft evaders for seven months, but the High Court froze legislation before it could take effect and later extended the freeze while considering petitions against the law.
Efforts by the current government to enshrine in law a blanket ultra-Orthodox exemption from the draft have drawn fierce opposition from reservists, Knesset legal advisers and much of the public.
Haredi leaders fiercely oppose compulsory enlistment, arguing that military service threatens their religious way of life.
Yet the matter remains contentious amid the country’s wartime manpower shortage and anger among Israelis who serve in the military and reserves, with the topic featuring as one of the key issues ahead of the October 27 general elections.
The Times of Israel Community.