The IDF has initiated an operation targeting individuals who failed to respond draft notices. Military police have begun locating and detaining dozens of draft dodgers across the country, the army confirmed on Tuesday.
The IDF stated that the operation is not only about enforcing enlistment but also about sending a strong message: draft evasion will carry real consequences. “A potential recruit who did not report for induction in accordance with the instructions of the summons he received is liable to face disciplinary or criminal sanctions,” the army said in a statement.
The operation has brought condemnation from the haredi parties, and even threats of leaving the government. The haredi parties wrote to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday morning to clarify that they will withdraw immediately if the IDF begins actual arrests.
UTJ officials told Galei Tzahal „If there are actual arrests made, we will immediately begin working to incapacitate and disband the government. We don’t understand Netanyahu and Katz – did they think that we would just stand by?“
In an interview given just before Passover to HaDerech, the official publication of the Shas party, party leader Aryeh Deri issued a stark ultimatum. “The moment, God forbid, that even one incident occurs in which the military police enter a yeshiva or a house and arrest even one yeshiva student, at that moment, no matter the circumstances, Shas will not be able to remain in the government.”
Deri dismissed attempts to shift blame to legal institutions such as the Supreme Court or the Attorney General. “It does not matter who is behind it. We cannot sit in a government that harms Torah scholars,” he declared. “This is not a political or tactical matter, but a basic principle.”
