The Israeli army, under the direct supervision of the new chief of staff, Major General Ayal Zamir, launched an unprecedented campaign to prosecute and arrest the militant Jewish youths (Haridim) who evaded military service, in a move that detonated the anger of the Haredi parties that warned of the collapse of the government coalition, and considered that what is being “declaring a war on the religious identity of the state.”
The military police units began, at dawn yesterday, Monday, by storming the homes of dozens of young Haridim who ignored the recruitment orders, in cities such as Bani Barak, Jerusalem, Adad and Ashdoud, in the context of what was called the “fleeing” process, the first of its kind in this range, for decades.
Implementation of “12 orders”
This process comes in the context of the “12 orders” application, which are military orders that are issued to those who have received preliminary recruitment calls and have not responded, despite the warnings and repeated notifications.
In an official statement, the army announced that “the military police will reach the homes if necessary,” stressing that “all other means have been exhausted, and now it is time to implement.” An official in the Human Forces Department stated that the arrests will target “hundreds of evaders”, stressing that the continuous crisis in Gaza and the depletion of reserves prompted the army to tighten measures to supply the regular forces.
In an unprecedented measure, military sources revealed that the army is considering integrating the military police into the regular police patrols – such as the Traffic Police – to verify the identity of the drivers wanted to perform the service. An official in the Human Force said that this step aims to “close all gaps” and ensure the arrest of any escape in public roads.
The number of soldiers currently needed by the army is about 12,000, including 7,000 fighters, in light of the unprecedented attrition among the reserve soldiers, who have been called for multiple rounds since the war began on Gaza.
Harid threats
This campaign has exploded angry reactions within the silky circles. The Knesset members of the two silky blocs (Shas and Waddot Hatourah) vowed to take immediate steps to withdraw from the government in the event of reports that the military police arrested any young religious school students. One of the deputies told the newspaper “Israel Hume”: “If we receive a call from one of the school principals, we inform us of the arrest of a student, then we will withdraw from the government immediately.”
A prominent member of the “Yahdout Haturah” party, in statements to the Hebrew website, warned that the continuation of the arrests “will make the government days a few,” adding: “If tens or hundreds of religious school students are arrested, the coalition will fall immediately. There is no coalition without the Haridim.”
Sources in the same party also said that “the chief of staff decided to overthrow the government,” accusing the military establishment of seeking to change the nature of Israeli society “by targeting the heart of his biblical identity.”
The newspaper “Israel Hume” quoted a senior official in the “Yahdout Haturah” party as saying that “religious schools are not qualifying courses, but rather the Torah institutions, and the entry of the army or the police to it is a desecration of the sacred,” adding: “From the moment when one student is arrested, a message of resignation will be printed, and the coalition will drop.” He explained that any arrest process will automatically lead to the collapse of the government.
In a similar position, the leader of the “Shas” party, Aryeh Deri, confirmed that his party will not remain in the coalition if any student is arrested. He said, “Religious schools are the pillars of the biblical world, and we will not accept the violation of them under any circumstance.”
Observers note that this angry reaction is not just a threat, but rather an expression of a doctrinal position for the Haredi who see the exemption from military service a religiously negotiable religious right, and they have repeatedly stressed that the Torah students “guard the state with their teachings and not with their weapons,” as they put it.
In the Haridi Street, the “protest organizations” began activating the emergency lines and communication centers, which aim to thwart the arrest campaigns within religious neighborhoods. A group led by Rabbi Tsafi Friedman – one of the most prominent symbols of the militant Jerusalem faction – published a publication calling for “preparing for the hour of truth”, warning that “the kidnappers arrived”, referring to the military police.
The publication urges the Haridim audience to receive urgent alerts from the “arrival of the kidnappers” and immediately move to detention sites to prevent the army from carrying out its operations. Religious circles circulated invitations to gather and immediate sit -in at any arrest.
Opposition welcome
On the other hand, the Israeli opposition welcomed the moves of the military police and the implementation of the court’s decision, and considered it a step towards achieving equality between the components of Israeli society. “The military police do not arrest the Haraid, but rather who violated the law and did not attend to perform the military service,” the opposition leader, Yair Lubid, wrote, saying. He added: “The soldiers who do this work do not deserve insult, but thanks.”
As for the head of the “Israel Our Home” party, Avigdor Lieberman, known for his sharp stance towards the Haredim, he said: “In my government, everyone will be recruited, there is no sect above the law,” stressing that the current government is fully subject to extortion of religious parties that impose its agenda at the expense of the rest of the citizens.
For his part, the former general and head of the Democrats, Yair Golan, published a message in which he said: “The law must be applied to everyone, there are no first -class citizens and others. If the court has decided, the government must implement without delay.”
Netanyahu between the jaws of the pliers
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to balance his commitment to Al -Haidim – one of the pillars of his ruling coalition – and the pressure of the security establishment, which believes that the situation no longer tolerates the continuation of mass exemptions.
In a closed session of the Knesset Foreign and Security Committee, Netanyahu said: “Within two years, 10 thousand and 500 militant Orthodox will be recruited. I respect the students of the Torah, but the Haridim must bear a greater role.”
But the response to Netanyahu was not delayed, as Knesset member Eliezer Stern said, Yoshid: “The penalties in your hand, you can implement them immediately. There is no need to wait for two years,” referring to the repeated political procrastination in the recruitment file.
In the same context, Maariv newspaper quoted a large source in the Likud as saying that “Netanyahu is determined to pass the compulsory recruitment law, whatever the price, including replacing the head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, if it is concluded that this is what must be done. The government succeeded in the issue of compulsory recruitment, and there will be elections in 2026. “
The issue of recruitment of Haredim is one of the most explosive files in Israel, as this segment – which represents more than 13% of the population – has semi -collective exemptions since the establishment of the state, based on a historical understanding with religious parties.
But with the deepening of security crises, and the increase in talking about “dividing the burden”, the secular voice began to demand the end of this privilege. Legislative attempts to legalize the compulsory service of Haridim have been repeated, but they often collided with the Supreme Court or rejecting religious parties.
The Israeli Supreme Court canceled, in the middle of last year, the law that grants mass exemptions to students of religious institutes, asking the government to enact a new law that does not have discrimination, which put Netanyahu in front of a highly sensitive political and security entitlement.
Deep internal polarization
Observers are afraid that the recent arrests campaign will lead to an explosion inside the home front, at a time when Israel is fighting a multi -front war. Commentators in the Hebrew media considered that the recruitment of Haridim “has become a time bomb,” noting that the current confrontation is the deepest for many years.
A political source told Maariv newspaper: “We do not know whether this campaign is serious or just a review, but if it continues with collective arrests of the Haraidim and not others, the government will enter an existential crisis within hours.”
Despite Netanyahu’s attempts to absorb anger, his options are increasing. Either he continues the recruitment campaign and loses support for the Haredim, or to stop it and clash with the army, the Supreme Court and the secular public.
Until the moment, the Harid parties appear to be determined to use their political weapons to the end, as an official in one of these parties said: “No student at the Religious Institute, neither today nor tomorrow. This is a battle for our existence, and we are not in the process of making concessions. Whoever thinks that he will break us -will collide with a wall of faith.”
