IDF to Resume Proactive Draft Evasion Arrests After Legal Review

Following a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, the IDF has been instructed by the Deputy Attorney General to resume proactive enforcement operations, including arrests, against draft evaders and deserters. The IDF acknowledged that such proactive enforcement had not been conducted recently. Military police are expected to restart these operations in October, in coordination with the Israel Police, alongside a joint procedure for handling randomly apprehended deserters and draft evaders. The Military Advocate General's Corps is also tasked with expediting measures to lower the threshold for prosecution for draft evasion and for deserters at enlistment centers, and to amend the disciplinary law.

The directive comes after a violent incident in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, where hundreds of protesters, mobilized by the extremist Jerusalem Faction group "Tzeva Shachor," prevented military police from arresting a Haredi deserter. The protesters stormed the building and the deserter's apartment, clashing with police. The IDF stated that the arrest was called off due to the riots, and the deserter would instead be issued a notice to regulate his status. The IDF condemned the disruption of its soldiers' duties and affirmed that enforcement against deserters and draft evaders would continue.

Political figures reacted strongly. MK Yitzhak Goldknopf criticized the police action as "shocking and outrageous," blaming the Prime Minister for the "persecution of Torah scholars." Gadi Eisenkot condemned the use of force to prevent the arrest, calling it a "dangerous worldview" that normalizes draft evasion and vowing to pass a conscription law in the next government. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described the incident as a "moment from another disaster" and a legacy of the current government, promising to replace them and ensure those who don't serve receive no funding. Yair Golan called the Netanyahu government a "tangible danger to Israel's security," stating that the Haredi militias had "subdued the police" and that allowing draft evasion leads to anarchy. Avigdor Lieberman decried the incident as "unbearable," comparing the IDF's retreat to actions in Jenin, and asserted that Netanyahu's government depends on draft evaders. Yoaz Hendel questioned the selective enforcement of law, comparing the situation to potential reactions if it occurred in the Arab sector, and called for a Zionist government not dependent on these groups.