Fearing protests will 'ignite the Haredi sector': Police cancel Haredi draft-dodger arrest operations in coming days
The IDF planned a Haredi draft-dodger arrest operation for early next week, but the police refused to secure it due to concerns that the arrests would lead to Haredi protests spilling over until election day and disrupting its conduct. The operation was canceled after senior police decided the Tel Aviv district would not secure it. Two days ago, the IDF and police admitted that no proactive arrests of draft-dodgers had been carried out in recent months, despite a High Court ruling.
The IDF planned a proactive arrest operation targeting Haredi draft-dodgers, scheduled to take place from Sunday to Tuesday of the coming week. However, police feared the arrests would lead to widespread Haredi protests that would spill over until election day and disrupt its conduct. In a senior police discussion, it was decided that the Tel Aviv district would not secure the operation, leading to its cancellation. The main concern was that the protests would ignite the Haredi sector in the days before the elections, in a way the police could not handle. Two days ago, in a discussion with representatives of the Attorney General's office, the IDF and police admitted that no proactive arrests of draft-dodgers had been carried out in recent months, despite a High Court ruling ordering increased enforcement against draft evaders. The gap between the High Court ruling and the lack of actual enforcement, along with fears of political implications on election day, stand at the center of the affair.