An Israeli military official revealed on Wednesday that out of 24,000 summonses for recruitment, which was directed to the Hew in the Hareeim during 2024, only 1212 people responded, equivalent to only 5%.
This came in a testimony presented by the head of the Planning Department of the Israeli Army, Brigadier General Tayyib, in front of a sub -committee of the Knesset Foreign and Security Committee.
Tayyib explained that the army issued 24 thousand summons out of 80,000 planning to summon them, by 3 thousand in the first third of the year, which he responded to 692, and 7 thousand in the second trimester attended 450 of them, and 14 thousand in the third third, only 70 of them attended.
“Of the 24,000 calls, only 1212 people (5.05%) responded,” he added.
He pointed out that the age distribution of those who are called for military service includes 50% between the ages of 18 and 20 years, 40% between 20 and 23 years, and 10% over 23 years.
The military official indicated that the army intensified the pursuit of those who failed to serve, especially through Ben Gurion Airport, where 411 arrests were carried out, including 61 under official orders, and 43 people were prevented from leaving the country.
“We need large human energy due to the security situation, and we go to tighten the penalties and deal strictly with absenteeism. The current individual penalties are insufficient,” Brigadier General said.
Al -Haidim continues their protests against service in the army after the decision of the Supreme Court (the highest judicial body) issued on June 25, 2024, to compel them to recruit and prevent the provision of financial assistance to religious institutions whose students reject military service.
Preoccupation with the Torah
The voice of the top rabbis is above the call to refuse to recruit, and even tear the calls of summons.
Al -Haidim constitutes about 13% of the 10 million Israeli population. They reject military service on the pretext of devoting their lives to study the Torah, stressing that the integration into secular society constitutes a threat to their religious identity and the continuity of their society.
For decades, members of the sect were able to avoid recruitment upon the age of 18, by obtaining repeated postponements under the pretext of studying in religious institutes, until they reach the age of exemption from service, which is currently 26 years old.
The opposition accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to pass a law that exempting the Haridim from recruitment, in response to the demands of the Shas Party and the participants in the government coalition, with the aim of maintaining the stability of his government and preventing its collapse.
