Israel Seeks Court Approval for Harsher Sanctions on Haredi Men Evading Military Service

Israel's Attorney General is urging the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) to consider implementing additional measures to economically penalize young Haredi men who have not arranged their military service status. In an update filed with the court, the state outlined proposed steps to revoke benefits such as property taxes (Arnona) and public transportation discounts, subsidies for children's programs, and housing loans. The Attorney General's office argues that while some enforcement actions have been taken, the government has not fully utilized its available tools and has failed to establish a coherent economic enforcement policy, despite a court order to do so within 45 days by November 2025.

The proposed measures include conditioning eligibility for various benefits on military status. Specifically, the Interior Minister has the authority to amend regulations to deny property tax discounts to those who have not arranged their military status, though this process is stalled due to the absence of a functioning Interior Minister. Similarly, public transportation discounts, which were supposed to be revoked months ago, are still under review by the Transportation and Finance ministries. The Deputy Legal Advisor has recommended revoking subsidies for children's programs like "Nitzanim" and "Nitzanim Vacations" starting in January 2027, though the Education Ministry has requested a delay until 2028, citing logistical challenges for hundreds of authorities and hundreds of thousands of children.

Further proposals involve conditioning eligibility for subsidized housing loans on military status, with recommendations already passed to the Housing Ministry. Other potential sanctions being examined include revoking rent assistance, marriage registration fee discounts, and land allocations. The update also detailed the number of individuals evading military service, with approximately 110,330 individuals identified as draft dodgers or subject to orders as of September 2026. The military estimates about 60% of this group are Haredi, with an additional 21% statistically identified as Haredi. The state is also considering policy changes to expedite criminal prosecution for draft evasion, intensify handling of those arrested and returned to evasion, and increase maximum disciplinary penalties, despite objections from the military prosecution regarding potential inequality.

Existing sanctions already in place include revoking eligibility for subsidized daycare and "family rooms," with over 730 applications blocked due to parents not arranging their military status. The "Target Price" housing program also requires military status for participation in lotteries. Digital interfaces are being used to verify military status for scholarship eligibility and state service positions, preventing those who haven't arranged their status from receiving these benefits. Additionally, tax benefits for religious institutions are being conditioned on their students arranging their military status. Travel bans are also being enforced, with over 1,000 individuals prevented from leaving the country between January 2025 and September 2026.

Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri criticized the Attorney General's actions, calling her an "ousted activist" who is persecuting Torah students and aiming to advance a left-wing government. He warned that if the left comes to power, the severity of these measures would escalate dramatically.