Official Israeli information introduced on Wednesday revealed that solely 232 Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) males responded to 18,915 navy draft orders issued in latest weeks, underscoring persistent refusal to serve within the Israeli military, in response to a Knesset assertion.
Col. Avigdor Dickstein, head of the Haredi department within the Israeli military’s Personnel Directorate, shared these figures with the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.
“Out of 18,915 draft orders issued recently, only 232 Haredim responded, while 1,840 ignored the summons, 962 were declared draft dodgers, and 68 were exempted for various reasons,” he stated, citing the Knesset launch.
Dickstein identified that the military set a aim of recruiting 4,800 Haredi troopers in 2024 and 2025 however has solely enlisted 1,721, and in response to the Knesset assertion, “This number is insufficient and does not meet the significant operational need.”
The Haredi neighborhood, which accounts for roughly 13% of Israel’s 10 million inhabitants, has continued to protest conscription following a Supreme Court ruling on June 25, 2024, mandating their enlistment and halting funding for yeshivas (non secular colleges) whose college students refuse service.
Senior rabbis, whose steering is taken into account binding by Haredim, have urged followers to reject draft orders, with some calling for “tearing up” summons.
Haredim argue that Torah research is their major obligation and that integration into secular society threatens their non secular id.
For a long time, Haredi males have evaded conscription at age 18 via repeated deferrals tied to yeshiva enrollment till reaching the exemption age of 26.
The opposition accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing for a brand new legislation to revive Haredi exemptions to fulfill coalition companions Shas and United Torah Judaism, risking authorities collapse.
This draft-dodging comes because the Israeli military resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner alternate settlement.
Israel has killed over 51,300 Palestinians within the enclave since October 2023, most of them girls and kids.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity in Gaza.
Israel additionally faces a genocide case on the International Court of Justice for its conflict on the enclave.
Source: www.anews.com.tr