During a recent Knesset committee session, Brigadier General Shai Taib revealed that the IDF had refrained from physically pursuing draft dodgers for the first nine months of the war. “In the first nine months of the fighting, we did not carry out physical enforcement operations against deserters. We have priorities,” Taib explained.
He added that enforcement measures at Ben Gurion Airport, where 340 people have been detained, were applied across all segments of society and not exclusively aimed at the chareidi community.
Committee chairman MK Elazar Stern expressed frustration at Taib’s comments, suggesting they pointed to a double standard in enforcement. “Prioritization is selective enforcement,” Stern asserted. He pressed Taib for concrete answers, demanding, “To achieve thousands of new recruits, what tools do you need? Arrests, travel restrictions, revocation of driver’s licenses—these are tools you’re not employing.”
Taib countered that their legal authority to impose such penalties is currently constrained. “The tools and sanctions you mentioned are not enforceable. Most draft evaders today are not from the haredi sector,” he replied, drawing swift objections from several opposition members who took issue with the characterization.
Despite the criticism, Taib stood firm. “Most of the draft evaders today are not chareidi. The increase in numbers is due to the cancellation of the legal framework. Beyond arrests, current sanctions are minimal. If the state decides that those who do not enlist will be denied a driver’s license or other services, the situation will shift.”
{Matzav.com Israel}