IDF Targeted Draft Dodger "Especially" After Wedding Arrest

The IDF considered a recently arrested Haredi draft dodger a particular target, a military source confirmed to Kan News. Unlike other draft dodgers who are typically released, the military police were determined not to let this individual go, the source stated. The military police conducted an unusual operation to arrest the man at a bus station, as he had previously incited protesters to surround soldiers at his home in Modi'in three weeks prior, leading to his release.

Following the "humiliation" he caused IDF forces during that prior arrest attempt, the military focused specifically on apprehending him. The military police apprehended the Haredi draft dodger as he was disembarking from a bus with his bride, according to aid organizations for draft dodgers. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 days in military prison.

Haredi parties strongly condemned the arrest. The Shas party issued a statement calling the arrest "brutal" and demanding his immediate release, urging Knesset members to sign a petition to that effect. They stated the action was a "first step" towards healing a rift in the nation.

Yitzchak Goldknopf, Chairman of Agudath Yisrael, called the arrest "a new low in the witch hunt against Torah scholars," accusing the obsessive pursuit of yeshiva students of crossing all bounds of humanity and sensitivity. He placed responsibility on Prime Minister Netanyahu for failing to fulfill his promise to regulate the status of yeshiva students.