Current sanctions against draft dodgers are “threadbare” and are not applying enough pressure on haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men to respect draft orders, head of the IDF’s personnel planning branch, Brig.-Gen. Shai Tayeb, said during a meeting in the Knesset Subcommittee for IDF Human Resources on Wednesday morning.

According to Tayeb, the only current individual sanction against haredi draft-dodgers is preventing them from leaving the country, which has only applied to a small percentage of those who received orders.

“We definitely believe that sanctions that affect individuals – not just at Ben Gurion Airport – will lead to greater effectiveness,” Tayeb said.

“If we want to address such significant numbers, more such sanctions are needed. The current sanctions are very sparse. If the state commits to this, it can create a situation where it provides services to citizens, but at the point of interaction, it emphasizes that a citizen who has not served in the IDF will not receive that service,” he added.

According to Tayeb, 24,000 draft orders have been sent out since July 2024 out of the approximately 80,000 eligible haredi men. Out of these, just 1,212 have been respected so far (although some of the most recent orders’ dates to report for service have not arrived yet).

A haredi man embraces a youth from the Orthodox community who has joined the army (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
A haredi man embraces a youth from the Orthodox community who has joined the army (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Some 2,399 of those who failed to respect initial call-up orders have received “Tzav 12” orders, which require that recipients immediately report for service and block their exit from the country. Out of 3,000 draft orders sent out between July-October 2024, some 964 have been officially deemed “draft dodgers” (“mishtamtim”).

According to Tayeb, 41 people were blocked from leaving the country.

MK Elazar Stern, who chaired the subcommittee meeting, criticized the government for failing to draft 4,800 haredim in the 2024-2025 draft year.

MKs are waiting for ultra-Orthodox leaders to call for enlistment 

“Two conditions were mentioned as necessary to achieve the goal: personal and general sanctions, and support from the ultra-Orthodox leadership,” Stern said. “Sanctions have begun to some extent, but only with the assistance of the Supreme Court. I feel hopeless about the prospect that, in the foreseeable future, any ultra-Orthodox leadership will call for enlistment.”

Stern continued, “In my worldview, it is not the army’s role to recruit – it is the state’s responsibility. When the army lacks funds, we do not send it to raise money, and when it lacks personnel, we should not tell the army to handle recruitment itself. It cannot be that from an entire sector that does not enlist, only one person might eventually be detained.”

Tayeb’s comment echoed that of attorney-general Gali Baharav-Miara, who said on May 7 that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has yet to answer inquiries as to why he has not greenlit further financial sanctions on draft dodgers that do not require specific legislation.