IDF Chief Warns Against Draft Evasion Law, Citing Security and Morale Risks

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi sent an urgent letter on Monday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth, expressing strong opposition to a proposed law that would halt arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. The legislation aims to exempt yeshiva students who fail to enlist from arrest, investigation, or criminal enforcement.

Kochavi warned that the law would severely damage national security and the IDF's core values. He stressed that it would not increase military manpower in the short term and would instead create a clear incentive for draft evasion. Writing amid ongoing multi-front military challenges and a significant manpower shortage affecting operational capabilities, Kochavi stated the law contradicts the IDF’s principles and unfairly grants mass exemptions from prosecution to those avoiding service.

He cautioned that such a political move would cause deep divisions within the ranks, burdening soldiers who have carried the combat load for over two and a half years, and would exacerbate inequality, undermining soldiers’ trust and the army’s legitimacy. Kochavi also criticized the bureaucratic mechanism the law proposes to impose on the military, noting the IDF lacks the tools and expertise to verify the technical criteria based on affidavits, which would impose a heavy organizational burden and distract from critical operational duties.

In conclusion, Kochavi urged the political leadership to immediately remove the committee mechanism outlined in the bill to prevent these negative consequences.