No Arrests of Draft Evaders Will Be Made on Election Day

Central Elections Committee Chairman and Supreme Court Deputy President Justice Noam Sohlberg reached an understanding with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Danny Levy that no draft evaders will be arrested on election day. The reported decision, first published by ynet, is intended to ensure that voters can reach polling stations without fear.

In a statement, the committee said that because of the importance of the right to vote, there will be no enforcement operations at all on election day regarding the recruitment of draft evaders. It added that every voter will be able to get to the ballot box without concern. Levy said police would operate with reinforced forces to secure a proper election and maintain public order, and Sohlberg welcomed that.

Sohlberg made the approach together with Central Elections Committee Director General Adv. Din Livne, who said the concern was that some ultra-Orthodox draft evaders might stay away from the polls out of fear they would be caught and arrested. Livne said the goal is to prevent any group of voters from being blocked from exercising its right to vote.

The decision comes as the Knesset dissolution bill has already passed its preliminary reading on May 20 and its first reading on June 2. The next step is to set a final election date, with October 20 currently emerging in the political system as the likely option, and then advance the bill through committee and the second and third readings. Coalition leaders were also due to meet on the evening of the report to discuss the timing of dissolving the Knesset, but the meeting was thrown into doubt after Moshe Gafni and Yitzhak Goldknopf of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael said they would not attend amid coalition disputes, led by tensions with the ultra-Orthodox parties over legislation.