IDF issued over 1,000 ‘arrest warrants’ to ultra-Orthodox who ignored draft orders, says officer

After issuing 3,000 draft orders to members of the ultra-Orthodox community over the summer, the IDF has issued 1,126 “arrest warrants” to those who did not show up to the induction centers, a senior officer tells lawmakers.

“Of the 3,000 ultra-Orthodox who received [draft] orders, 1,126 were issued arrest warrants for those who did not report to the first and second orders,” says Brig. Gen. Shay Taib, head of the Personnel Directorate’s Planning and Personnel Management Division, during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting.

“After that, they will receive a call for immediate recruitment, and anyone who does not come [to the induction center] will be declared an evader,” Taib says.

The consequences of being declared a draft evader include receiving a “no exit order” — being barred from leaving the country — and during any encounter with the police, the draft dodger can be arrested. The IDF Military Police does not plan to actually carry out arrests of those who do not show up to the induction centers, but instead wait until they are declared draft evaders and leave it to law enforcement.

Responding to Taib, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid issues a statement demanding that Defense Minister Israel Katz direct the IDF to “immediately” issue an additional 7,000 conscription orders to ultra-Orthodox Israelis of military age “and strengthen enforcement against those who did not report for duty.”

On Sunday, the IDF sent the first 1,000 of 7,000 new draft orders to male members of the ultra-Orthodox community slated to go out in the coming months. It follows a previous round of 3,000 draft orders sent out during the summer. Out of those 3,000 men, less than 10% showed up at induction centers.

The military said it currently requires some 10,000 new soldiers — mostly combat troops — but can only accommodate the enlistment of an additional 3,000 ultra-Orthodox this year, due to their additional needs. Added to the around 1,800 Haredi soldiers who are already drafted annually, this would mean only 4,800 out of more than 60,000 eligible ultra-Orthodox men would be conscripted, a number that committee chair Likud MK Yuli Edelstein has long dismissed as insufficient.

In a statement following today’s hearing, Edelstein says the army’s figure of 3,000 “is not acceptable to me” and should be higher.

“In addition, those who contributed three years to the state should receive more than those who chose not to contribute. This is true for every citizen in the State of Israel,” ultra-Orthodox or otherwise, he adds.