IDF: 82,000 young ultra-Orthodox men declared draft dodgers or on the way to being so
Approximately 82,000 young ultra-Orthodox men have been declared draft dodgers or are in the final stages of that process. They account for 81% of all individuals currently evading military service.
Approximately 82,000 young ultra-Orthodox men have been declared draft dodgers (50,000) or are in an advanced stage of such a declaration (a '12' order, 32,000). They constitute 81% of all draft dodgers or those currently in the '12' order process. This means each of these 82,000 individuals is at risk of arrest during a random encounter with the police.
This was reported by army representatives at the 15th follow-up discussion regarding the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on the conscription of yeshiva students. The meeting was held this month with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and its summary was published today.
During the discussion, an IDF representative stated that there was a 53% increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox recruits for the 2025 recruitment year, reaching 4,300. Over the past year, 679 ultra-Orthodox individuals liable for conscription faced disciplinary proceedings, but only 34 were prosecuted before a military court.
In the last three months, 1,061 draft dodgers and deserters were detained at border crossings, yet only 18 were arrested, and travel bans were issued for only 265. Baharav-Miara determined that increasing the efficiency of arrests at border crossings is of great importance and demanded that the army submit a detailed report on the criteria used to release detainees.
Budget Department representative Rom Bar-Av called for action this year to cancel discounts for draft dodgers in the 'Nitzanim' after-school programs. The difficulty in applying this sanction stems from the fact that the benefit is provided to a locality based on its socio-economic cluster rather than to the individual.
Sanctions already imposed include:
-
Cancellation of daycare discounts
-
Cancellation of National Insurance Institute benefits
-
Cancellation of participation in the 'Discounted Apartment' program
A representative of the Government Digital Array reported that a digital interface for draft dodgers has been launched. Government ministries have begun connecting to this IDF data, allowing for the enforcement of sanctions without the need for manual reporting checks.
