A senior IDF officer on Tuesday warned that the number of draft evaders in Israel could reach 90,000 within the next 18 months, as he criticized efforts to suspend the arrests of draft evaders and urged lawmakers to pass an effective draft law that would increase enlistment.
Brig. Gen. Shai Tayeb, head of the IDF’s Planning and Personnel Management Division responsible for overseeing Chareidi enlistment, delivered the warning during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
“There is no question that we need legislation that brings soldiers tomorrow,” Tayeb said. “We need an effective draft law, and this temporary measure will not help me as head of the Planning and Personnel Management Division.”
Tayeb defended the use of arrests and imprisonment as part of enforcing Israel’s Security Service Law, saying they are an essential tool in implementing the law. He added that enlistment numbers have risen and estimated that the current recruitment cycle would surpass 3,500 recruits.
Warning that the trend is accelerating, Tayeb said some young men refuse to report for military service because their brothers have already become draft evaders, while others are “closing ranks” and choosing not to enlist. “Within a year and a half, we will reach 90,000 draft evaders. We are on our way there,” he warned.
His remarks drew an immediate interruption from MK Meir Porush, who responded, “That’s a tremendous achievement.”
The discussion came as the Knesset continues debating legislation related to the Chareidi draft issue. Earlier Tuesday, the Knesset Committee approved the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study for its next legislative stage, and the bill is expected to be brought before the Knesset plenum for its first reading.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
