IDF personnel chief: Haredi draft a ‘clear operational need,’ effective sanctions needed for those who dodge

Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"

Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF's Personnel Directorate, attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense committee meeting at the Knesset on January 22, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)
Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF's Personnel Directorate, attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense committee meeting at the Knesset on January 22, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

The conscription of ultra-Orthodox men is a “clear operational need,” Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, tells the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

“We all understand the need. On the first day of the war I buried 98 people,” says Bar Khalifa, the former commander of the 36th Division who led troops during months of fighting against Hamas in Gaza.

“I have no intention of changing the IDF’s stated position in the slightest,” he declares, adding that the military needs 6,000-7,000 additional combat troops.

The army has previously told the committee that, assuming it is provided with the necessary resources, it will be able to absorb Haredim “without any restrictions” starting in 2026.

However, Defense Minister Katz has instead pushed for gradually increasing the number of Haredi men drafted into the military until it hits 50 percent of the annual eligible Haredi draft cohort in 2032.

Says Bar Khalifa: “We are making a crazy, enormous effort. I am convinced that as we progress and succeed in recruiting our Haredi brothers, they will enlist with us. What we are preparing for them will allow us to successfully recruit them. We have invested millions, we are investing enormous resources and will expand as much as necessary.”

Bar Kalifa also urges “much more effective sanctions” on individuals who dodge the draft in order to improve enlistment numbers.

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