MKs demand clarifications from IDF: Concern over dramatic drop in arrests of draft dodgers

Opposition MKs have turned to the Military Advocate General demanding clarifications and data on the scope of arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, amid concerns of a dramatic decline in arrests, potentially to a complete halt, following the High Court's cancellation of the law freezing arrests.

MKs Efrat Rayten, Ram Ben Barak, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, and Oded Forer have turned to the Military Advocate General, Major General Itai Opher, demanding clarifications and data regarding the scope of arrests of draft dodgers among yeshiva students in 2026. The appeal was made amid their concern that since the law freezing arrests was enacted, and despite it being frozen and later canceled by the High Court, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of arrests of Haredi conscription evaders, to the point of an effective cessation of enforcement actions. The MKs wrote that equal enforcement has a direct impact on the IDF's ability to expand its ranks and on trust among regular and reserve soldiers. They demanded clarification on the source of the change, if any, and what the considerations were. In early September, the High Court unanimously ordered the cancellation of the law freezing arrests of Haredi draft dodgers, ruling that the amendment deviates substantially from the original bill's subject and harms the constitutional right to equality.