Israeli Lawmakers Demand IDF Clarification on Haredi Draft Evasion Arrests

Four Israeli lawmakers have formally requested clarification from the Military Advocate General, Major General Itai Ofir, regarding a perceived dramatic decrease in the arrest of draft-evading Haredi yeshiva students. The MKs, Efrat Reiten, Ram Ben Barak, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, and Oded Forer, expressed concern that since the enactment and subsequent cancellation by the High Court of Justice of a law freezing arrests for draft evasion, enforcement actions against Haredi men liable for military service have effectively ceased.

The lawmakers emphasized that equitable enforcement of military service obligations is crucial for the IDF's ability to expand its ranks and for maintaining fairness towards the hundreds of thousands serving in regular and reserve duty. They stated they have received information suggesting a significant drop, possibly a complete halt, in arrests of yeshiva students evading conscription. They stressed that they cannot confirm the accuracy of this information and therefore seek official data.

The request comes after the High Court of Justice unanimously ordered the cancellation of the "Haredi Draft Evasion Arrest Freeze Law" earlier this month. The court ruled that the amendment, passed in July 2026, significantly deviated from the original bill's scope, rendering its legislative process fundamentally flawed. A majority of the justices also found the law unconstitutional, arguing it severely infringes upon the right to equality without meeting the limitations clause requirements.

The controversial law, passed by a narrow margin in the Knesset, was intended to temporarily halt enforcement, investigation, and arrest proceedings against Haredi yeshiva students who had not reported for enlistment for a period of five months. The legislation included a mechanism for declarations and checks, and a list of yeshivas whose students would be exempt, subject to the Defense Minister's approval and input from yeshiva oversight bodies. During the legislative process, the legal advisor to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee had strongly criticized the bill, labeling it a "sectoral exemption" that lacked a balancing mechanism to mitigate inequality and warned it would exacerbate constitutional difficulties.