From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 28, 2025
MK demands AG ‘bring to justice’ protesters who blocked Haredi recruits at induction centers
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"
Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer demands that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara initiate criminal proceedings against anti-enlistment protesters who attempted to block Haredi recruits from entering the IDF’s induction center earlier today.
In a letter, Forer urges Baharav-Miara to “take action to bring to justice the rioters who are inciting evasion of IDF service.”
Forer notes that the Israeli penal code states “clearly and unequivocally” that those guilty of inciting evasion are subject to five years’ imprisonment, rising to 15 years during wartime, and argues that today’s coordinated multi-location protest “directly and substantially harms the security of the state, the strength of Israeli society, and the fundamental value of the equality of the burden.”
It is “impossible” that IDF conscripts “would be so blatantly harmed, while the law enforcement system does not bring the perpetrators to justice,” he continues — adding that silence sends “a dangerous message of leniency toward perpetrators, and would actually encourage draft dodgers.”
In a statement, Forer also calls on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to “stop talking and start acting” to protect IDF recruits.
Weeks ago, Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman called on police to enforce laws prohibiting the encouragement of draft evasion against senior leaders in the Haredi community.
The Times of Israel Community.