From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
AG’s office details fresh measures against draft dodgers, drawing ire from Haredi parties
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Attorney General’s Office releases a letter detailing the military’s new plan for increased enforcement against draft evaders, eliciting harsh condemnations from representatives of the coalition’s Haredi parties.
The letter was sent to participants of a meeting held on Sunday, which had been attended by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the head of the IDF manpower directorate, and other senior officials.
According to the letter, only 1,721 Haredi soldiers were recruited to the IDF over the most recent enlistment cycle, with an additional 54,000 enlistment orders expected to be sent out to members of the Haredi community by the end of July.
It also stated that increased enforcement would commence on July 25. This will include significantly shortening the timeline for declaring a candidate for military service an evader. Under the new guidelines, there will only be two and a half months between the sending of an initial order to report for duty and the issuance of a so-called tzav 12, whose recipients are barred from leaving the country and can be arrested during any encounter with the police.
There will also be greater enforcement at border crossings and checkpoints throughout the country, with increased coordination between the military and civilian police.
“As part of the enforcement plan, proactive, intelligence-driven enforcement operations will be carried out regularly,” the letter states, adding that in September, evaders will be presented with “a one-time… limited opportunity” to report for service without being arrested.
Due to a lack of jail space to hold those arrested for dodging the draft, new solutions are currently being examined, the letter continues, noting that “the enforcement tools available to the army under existing law are not enough to carry out effective enforcement.”
“It is of great importance to expand the basket of enforcement tools, including the denial of benefits to evaders,” it asserts, calling on Defense Minister Israel Katz to promote the expansion of such sanctions “through administrative tools, without the need for legislation.”
The Attorney General’s Office “welcomed the progress in formulating the military recruitment and enforcement plan for this year” and stated that an additional meeting on the subject will be held next month.
In response, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri slams Baharav-Miara, stating that “the draconian guidelines issued today by the attorney general against Torah students in the Jewish state are a disgrace and a loss of sanity.”
“The use of extreme measures… against yeshiva students who support the world with their Torah should shock every Jew who loves and respects the Torah. No one can prevent a yeshiva student from diligently studying Talmud,” he declares.
Addressing the Knesset Finance Committee, chairman Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) also attacked Baharav-Miara, stating that she had “declared herself the main fighter against the world of Torah, Torah students and the upholders of the Jewish people.”
“We will not allow a single yeshiva student to be prevented from studying Torah,” he declared, adding that the Jewish people have learned from history what happens to people who “tried to prevent the study of Torah, and their end is known.”
The Times of Israel Community.