High Court orders state to clarify plans to draft Haredim, penalize dodgers
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The High Court of Justice on Friday gave the state until the end of January to explain what steps it was taking to maximize Haredi enlistment to the Israel Defense Forces and to penalize draft dodgers.
The instruction came in response to several petitions calling for the immediate conscription of all previously exempt ultra-Orthodox men.
In its order, the court noted that the number of eligible Haredi men who have not been recruited to the armed forces stands at around 80,000, and said that the gap between the number of ultra-Orthodox recruits called up for service and those who actually enlist “raises concerns that the quota set for the current year will also not be met.”
In its response to the petitions, the state last week told the court that the IDF has the capacity to absorb 4,800 Haredim in the enlistment year ending this coming June, and around 5,700 in 2025. Starting in 2026, however, there will be no limit to the number of ultra-Orthodox servicemen the military will be able to accommodate.
Absorbing a large number of ultra-Orthodox soldiers will require significant efforts on the part of the IDF, including adjusting how soldiers are evaluated — with current Initial Psychotechnical Rating tests having been found unsuitable for Haredim.
While the IDF’s capacity is increasing, it has not yet managed to reach its recruitment targets, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told the court in a filing, calling efforts to increase the number of Haredim in the military “an extraordinary practical, command and professional challenge.”
In its order, the High Court asked for details on the steps that will be taken to ensure Haredi men are drafted. It inquired as to the extent of preparations “for the use of various enforcement measures against candidates for conscription who do not report” when summoned.
The state has until January 30 to respond.
Content retrieved from: https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-court-orders-state-to-clarify-plans-to-draft-haredim-penalize-dodgers/.
