Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is demanding that the IDF and Israel Police renew proactive enforcement operations and arrests against yeshiva bochurim who have not reported for military service, while also calling for tougher financial and personal sanctions.
The demand follows a government review of the draft year that ended in June 2026, conducted under the attorney general and with representatives from the IDF, Defense Ministry, Finance Ministry, Justice Ministry, Israel Police, Population and Immigration Authority, National Digital Agency and other bodies.
According to figures presented in the review, approximately 50,000 Chareidim are currently classified by authorities as having failed to report for military service, while an additional 31,000 have been issued “Order 12” notices. Since the beginning of the year, 34 indictments have been filed against Chareidim for failing to report for military service. The review also found that approximately 80% of all Israelis currently classified by authorities as having failed to report are Chareidi.
The figures show that since August 2025, 679 individuals classified as deserters have faced military disciplinary proceedings, while 860 arrests were carried out over the past year. In addition, 244 people were detained by police, and 1,528 were stopped at Ben Gurion Airport and other border crossings. During the past three months alone, 1,061 individuals classified as deserters were prevented from leaving Israel at border crossings.
At the same time, officials reported an increase in the number of Chareidim entering military service. The review concluded that issuing draft orders to all eligible Chareidi men, together with increased financial and personal enforcement measures and adjustments to military service tracks, contributed to that increase.
The Justice Ministry maintains that additional financial and personal enforcement measures should now be implemented in order to further increase compliance with military service requirements and address what it describes as the military’s urgent need for additional manpower.
Alongside those measures, Baharav-Miara is calling on the IDF and police to resume proactive operations and arrests against those who have not reported for military service across all sectors of the population, citing the principle of equal enforcement.
In her response to the High Court, Baharav-Miara acknowledged the significant difficulties authorities face when attempting proactive arrests within the Chareidi community. Military and police officials pointed to the “significant difficulty that currently exists in carrying out proactive operations and arresting [those who have not reported for military service] from the Chareidi community at this time, in light of the large-scale public disturbances that accompany them.”
Officials noted that dealing with the protests requires substantial resources. Despite those difficulties, authorities maintain that proactive enforcement operations and arrests are important for creating a deterrent against failing to report for military service.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
3 Responses
How many leftist vegan activists have been detained for dodging service. Zero. How many Arab citizens are being asked to contribute national service. Also zero. But only the people who learn Torah are the bloodsuckers it seems, even though everyone else breathes thanks to them
@rebEmes
The statistics show that you are wrong. 81% of Tel Aviv is drafted and that includes men and women. The majority of those who don’t are arabs living in Jaffo and around Tel Aviv.
The ones who don’t draft generally get exemptions for medical or mental health reasons. The rest are put in jail.
The argument I constantly hear about Arabs needing to serve just seems silly to me. Do you really think we want a fifth column?
We can value Torah learning while also understanding that we don’t need such a high percentage of our population learning and if you think otherwise then explain to me how all the generations of jews before the 1980s survived.
The Attorney General’s demand for equal enforcement of draft laws across all sectors is a necessary step. The defense of Israel is a collective responsibility, not a selective one. While the challenges of proactive arrests are acknowledged, the principle of shared burden for national security cannot be compromised. Every segment of our society must contribute to the protection of our homeland. This is not about singling out any group; it is about upholding the unity of Torah and the sword, recognizing that both are vital for Jewish survival. We need both the scholars and the soldiers, and both must operate under the same law.