Israel's Attorney General Seeks Delay in Ultra-Orthodox Draft Evasion Update to High Court

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has requested a two-day extension from the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) to submit an update regarding the detention of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. This request comes after Baharav-Miara urged law enforcement agencies to increase detentions of those evading military conscription, and following the IDF's announcement that proactive enforcement would resume in October. The current request specifically concerns the deadline for submitting the update to the court, with no details yet provided on its content or any progress in enforcement actions since the last hearing.

Last week, it was reported that during a follow-up hearing on October 6, the Attorney General demanded an urgent improvement in the enforcement of conscription against ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, including intensified efforts for locating and proactively detaining them. Approximately 163 of those detained were estimated by military officials to be from the ultra-Orthodox community, and all were brought to justice, mostly through disciplinary proceedings.

Further details revealed that 64 individuals liable for conscription managed to leave Israel and were only apprehended upon their return, raising questions about the effectiveness of exit restrictions. Crucially, alongside these border crossing detentions, it emerged that proactive enforcement in the field had been minimal in recent times. The IDF attributed this partly to a focus on border crossings and preparations for the holiday season. Data from the two months prior to the hearing indicated only about ten draft evaders were randomly apprehended through the joint IDF-Police procedure.

In response to these findings, military officials pledged to resume proactive enforcement in October, in coordination with the Military Police and civilian police stations. The previous hearing also saw the Deputy Attorney General emphasize the urgent need to increase enforcement, stating that its current level was inconsistent with security needs, the principle of equality, and the state's commitments to the High Court. Additionally, it was disclosed that from the beginning of the year until September 23, 360 indictments were filed against absentees, 49 of which were against individuals estimated to be from the ultra-Orthodox public. Steps are also being considered to shorten prosecution timelines for absentees.