Haredi Draft Dodgers Face Renewed Arrests, Sparking Protests

Following the renewed arrest of two Haredi draft dodgers in Be'er Sheva and Eilat, the Jerusalem Faction is expected to hold protests on Thursday afternoon in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. Demonstrations are planned for 4:00 PM at several locations, including major traffic arteries like Highway 1 entering Jerusalem, Highway 4 in Bnei Brak, Highway 6, Geha Junction, and the Ginot Interchange. Two other attempts by Haredi draft dodgers to evade arrest in Dimona and Bat Yam were thwarted overnight, after protesters were reportedly called to the scenes.

The arrests come after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara instructed the IDF to resume proactive enforcement operations in coordination with the Israel Police. The IDF had previously admitted that no proactive enforcement or arrests had occurred recently. In response to the Attorney General's directive, the Jerusalem Faction stated that a "distinguished young man" from the Hebron Yeshiva was arrested in Eilat by military police and handed over to them, threatening further protests if he is not released.

IDF sources indicated that these operations are set to resume in October, alongside the implementation of a joint work procedure between the army and police for dealing with draft dodgers and deserters apprehended randomly. 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 the IDF recruitment base, and to amend the disciplinary law.

Separately, a project called "Prison Thousand" was revealed on Tuesday, which reportedly pays 1,000 shekels per day to any draft dodger who enters military prison. The project allegedly paid 12,000 shekels in cash to Avraham Engel, a Haredi draft dodger who spent 12 days in military prison. Nearly 10,000 people are reportedly members of this initiative, contributing small sums that accumulate into significant amounts. Senior Haredi rabbis, including Dov Lando, Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and Yitzchak Yosef, are said to be behind the project. The initiative's aim is to make military prison less of a deterrent and more of a reward, with the fund expected to distribute tens of thousands of shekels to draft dodgers in cash over time. The rabbis leading the fund are reportedly at the head of organizations funded by millions in state money, breaking the fear of imprisonment and making arrests financially worthwhile, with the backing of Haredi parties.