The State Control Committee, chaired by MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid), convened on Tuesday to discuss the topic of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) military service in the IDF. The IDF presented updated data regarding the recruitment of Haredim from the 2024 draft class, and ahead of the start of the 2025 draft. Additionally, the committee heard a briefing from the Military Police about enforcement actions taken against individuals who failed to report for service.
Committee Chair MK Levy said, “The question is what the IDF can do with a 25-year-old draft candidate who is already married with children. He will not be able to serve as a combat soldier, and he will require more resources than he can contribute. Instead, we must focus on recruitment at ages 17–18. The IDF has been reporting for a long time about declining recruitment rates — the erosion in regular [army] service is indescribable. There are no personal sanctions, no effective penalties. We are here to cry out: Do not pass a draft-dodging law — the state will not survive like this. We need new soldiers, and the combat [units are] collapsing under the burden.”
Former Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Harel said the IDF will not be able to carry out its missions in the coming years unless there is significant change. “The IDF is bearing an impossible burden. If deep reform is not carried out, we will collapse,” he said. “We expect to see operational steps — not lip service. Draft evasion has become widespread and threatens the future of military service. The committee will continue to closely monitor the implementation of enforcement and sanction processes.”
Brig.-Gen. Shai Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Human Resources Planning and Administration Division, said “Everyone will receive draft notices — that is the Chief of Staff’s directive, and we are working to make the process automatic and fast. Anyone who does not report after three notices will automatically receive an Order 12, which designates them as a draft dodger. In the last draft year, about 24,000 notices were sent to Haredi men; around 1,200 of these men reported to induction centers, and 428 were actually enlisted — including 98 combat soldiers. From that group, 3,700 are under Order 12 status, and 1,300 have been officially defined as draft evaders. For the new 2025 draft class, 54,000 additional notices are being sent out to the Haredi public. From now on, there is a legal change — a summons sent by registered mail is binding, and the burden shifts to the recipient. We are shortening the process: 14 days to report, then a second warning after 14 days, a third after another 14 days, and 30 more days before an arrest order is issued. At the same time, enforcement is being carried out for all draft candidates — regardless of sector.
“We are rebuilding a ‘second chance’ pathway — someone who has been declared a draft evader but wants to enlist can appear on a designated day — but only if he says clearly: ‘I want to enlist.’ No exemption documents will be accepted there. There are also adapted tracks for those who previously did not meet requirements. We are also adapting tests and training content for diverse populations,” Brig.-Gen. Tayeb told the committee.
Regarding the process for designating an individual as a draft evader, Brig.-Gen. Tayeb said it would be significantly shortened. “The transition to Order 12 will be faster — we won’t always be able to prove awareness, but we will take that risk and manage it. Many claim they didn’t receive the notices, changed addresses, didn’t know — but we must simplify procedures to prevent a large pool of evaders that would increase the burden on the system.”
He concluded by warning: “The number of people refusing to cooperate is growing, creating a serious burden on the system. If this trend continues, we could end up with tens of thousands who simply do not cooperate.”
The head of the Military Police Detainees Department, Inbar Goldner, reported that the Military Police is stepping up enforcement on the ground. “The number of personnel at border crossings — including at Ben Gurion Airport — has tripled. We are working in coordination with the Israel Police, and it has been agreed that anyone flagged as a draft evader at the terminal will be arrested on the spot. We are establishing a new enforcement layer to operate at checkpoints and crossings,” she said.
“Arrests at the airport, during boarding, already have a strong deterrent effect — we’re seeing evaders now choosing to report voluntarily after hearing of friends who were arrested at Ben Gurion.”
Goldner also noted that the Military Police maintains ongoing coordination with the Population and Immigration Authority and other enforcement bodies to carry out spontaneous operations based on situational assessments and needs.
During the hearing, mothers and wives of combat soldiers shared their personal hardships. “Our husbands serve for many months without leave. The children barely see their fathers, and we carry the full burden alone. There aren’t enough soldiers on the ground. There is not enough support for the fighters. If the IDF doesn’t initiate wide-scale recruitment in the Haredi sector and increase the number of active service members — the system simply won’t survive,” one of them said.
