Israel's Top Lawyer Tells High Court 110,000 Evade IDF Draft, Mostly Haredi
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Israel's Legal Advisor to the Government informed the High Court that 110,000 Israelis, mostly Haredi, are evading IDF service. The court recently struck down a law preventing the arrest of Haredi draft dodgers, citing constitutional rights to equality. While the High Court's decision has drawn sharp criticism from Haredi parties, advocacy groups argue for equal service burdens, and proactive arrests of Haredi draft dodgers have reportedly ceased.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- 110,000 Israelis, predominantly Haredi, are evading mandatory IDF service, according to the Legal Advisor to the Government.
- The High Court of Justice recently overturned a law that would have prevented the arrest of Haredi draft dodgers.
- The court ruled the law unconstitutional, violating the right to equality, despite its passage in the Knesset.
- Haredi parties condemned the court's decision, calling judges "instigators of chaos" and accusing them of political interference.
- Advocacy groups demand equal service, stating no draft dodger should receive immunity while others serve.
Israel's Legal Advisor to the Government, Gali Baharav-Miara, stated on Wednesday that 110,000 Israelis eligible for military service are evading the IDF, with the "vast majority being Haredi." She presented this assessment in a legal opinion submitted to the High Court of Justice (Bagatz). Baharav-Miara argued that "the state is not exhausting its enforcement tools" and suggested that "the court consider issuing additional operational directives to deny economic benefits to draft dodgers" as a means to combat the phenomenon.
Last month, the High Court unanimously overturned a law that would have halted the arrest of draft dodgers. The ruling was made by an expanded panel, largely comprised of conservative judges, who determined the law had a "fundamental flaw" as it did not pass a first reading, necessitating its cancellation. Eight members of the panel further ruled the amendment "unconstitutional, as it severely harms the core constitutional right to equality."
Shas party officials criticized the High Court's decision, calling the judges "the greatest instigators of chaos in the country." They claimed the judges "know well that violent arrests will not add even one soldier to the IDF, but are determined to deepen the rift in the nation, trample Knesset laws and democracy, all to blatantly interfere in elections for the benefit of a left-wing government." The party asserted that "most of the public in Israel supports an agreed-upon arrangement and will make its voice heard at the ballot box against judicial dictatorship."
Uri Keidar, CEO of the Free Israel Movement, responded to the High Court's ruling by stating, "No Haredi draft dodger will receive immunity, no evader will sleep soundly while hundreds of thousands of Israelis serve in the war and millions do not sleep at night fearing for their loved ones serving on the front lines. In Israel, there will not be a status of those who serve and a status of those who have those who serve. It is time for equality."
The law, intended to prevent the arrest of yeshiva students evading military service, was approved by the Knesset in July with a majority of 58 members of Knesset versus 54 opponents. Despite the High Court's ruling, the law has been partially implemented on the ground for weeks, with no proactive arrests of Haredi draft dodgers occurring.
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