Amid failure to draft Haredim, High Court orders government to impose financial sanctions on all draft evaders

The High Court of Justice issues orders to government agencies and cabinet ministers to immediately act to condition various welfare benefits received by citizens upon enlistment to the IDF — and to punish those who evade enlistment.

The High Court says it is issuing the orders because the government has failed to implement the court’s ruling that it must adopt enforcement measures against ultra-Orthodox men who have failed to enlist in the IDF after being sent conscription orders.

Over 79,000 conscription orders have been issued to ultra-Orthodox men since the court ruled in 2024 that they were obligated to enlist, after the law allowing for blanket exemptions expired. Since that time, only 2,100 have enlisted.

Between January 2025 and January 2026, only 17 ultra-Orthodox men were proactively arrested by police for draft evasion.

The court orders the Israel Land Council to decide how to condition discounts for property purchases on IDF enlistment within 21 days. It tells the Labor Ministry to condition daycare and afternoon care subsidies within 21 days.

It also orders the Transportation Ministry to work out if it is possible to condition public transportation discounts on IDF enlistment within 35 days; and the interior minister to consider whether municipal tax discounts can be conditioned on conscription, also within 35 days.

The court orders the government to update it by June 1 on the implementation of these orders.

The court also states explicitly that the police are “not acting in accordance with their obligations” to arrest ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, saying such a situation is “unacceptable.”

It therefore orders the government “to act with due diligence and as quickly as possible to engage in criminal proceedings against draft dodgers from among the Haredi public.”