Police Criticize IDF Handling of Draft Dodger Arrest, Citing Disorder
Translated & summarized from Hamal by baba
Israeli police are criticizing the IDF's handling of a draft dodger's arrest in Modi'in, claiming military police allowed the individual extended time to organize amidst a protest. Police were called to assist in restoring order after dozens of demonstrators gathered. Mayor Haim Bibas condemned the incident as a failure and called for investigations into the conduct of both the police and the army. He also urged for increased conscription and for those who evade service to be denied state benefits.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Police criticized military police for allowing a draft dodger extended time to organize during an arrest in Modi'in.
- Dozens of protesters gathered at the scene, requiring Israel Police to assist in restoring order.
- Police stated the decision to release the draft dodger and issue a regularization order was made by the IDF.
- Mayor Haim Bibas called the incident a serious failure and a dangerous message regarding law enforcement.
- Bibas urged the government and Haredi leadership to act for increased conscription and for those who evade service.
- The mayor stated that rioters were not residents of Modi'in and did not represent the city's values.
Israeli police are criticizing the conduct of military police during the arrest of a draft dodger in the Nofim neighborhood of Modi'in overnight Tuesday. According to a police investigation, a small military police force that arrived at the scene did not immediately detain the draft dodger after his arrest, contrary to regulations, allowing him extended time to organize. Only after dozens of protesters gathered did Israel Police arrive to assist in extracting the military police force and restoring order. Police sources emphasized that the decision to release the draft dodger and issue him a status regularization order was made by IDF officials, not Israel Police. They stated that the police acted at the army's request, deploying numerous forces to the scene to facilitate the decision and maintain public order.
The Mayor of Modi'in Maccabim Re'ut and Chairman of the Local Government Center, Haim Bibas, demanded that the police and army investigate their conduct. Bibas described the disturbance in the neighborhood and clashes with the forces that arrived, stating, "We all woke up this morning to the shameful reports and videos of Haredi rioters who arrived in the middle of the night to the Nofim neighborhood to thwart the arrest of a draft dodger, disturbed residents, and clashed with police officers and municipal police teams who arrived to assist." He called the outcome a serious failure, sending a dangerous message that sufficient force can thwart law enforcement. Bibas stressed that rioters who come to Modi'in Maccabim Re'ut will face a strong response and pledged to prevent recurrence.
Bibas added that the rioters were not residents of the city and did not represent its values. He noted that his own children serve in the military and that many families in the city have paid a heavy price. He called on the government and Haredi leadership to act for actual conscription, stating that those who can serve must, those who cannot should perform national or civil service, and those who do not contribute should receive nothing from the state. Bibas concluded by referencing his sons' full combat service and their immediate response on October 7th, contrasting it with others who evade military duty and then come to his city to riot.
