Draft

'Abandoning values': Yoaz Hendel accuses Religious Zionist Party of encouraging mass draft evasion

The former minister rejected reliance on Arab and haredi parties, called for a broad Zionist government, and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should leave office.

Reservists Party leader Yoaz Hendel presents national PTSD recovery plan after October 7, May 10, 2026.
Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak during an anti-draft protest, December 22, 2025.

Haredi draft dodgers should avoid airports, border crossings to evade arrest, yeshiva council warns

Thousands of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Gur (Hasidic dynasty) protest outside Military Prison near Kfar Yona, central Israel, against the jailing of seminary students who failed to comply with an army recruitment order, July 20, 2026.

Hundreds of haredim protest outside military prison following draft dodger arrest

 NETZAH YEHUDA soldiers at the dedication of a Torah scroll at the Erez Crossing.

Israel just gave Torah study a constitution. It should have given its soldiers one - opinion


Ex-PM Bennett slams Likud MKs for not opposing haredi draft bill, breaking coalition discipline

“The reservists are being abandoned because they don’t have a lobby in Likud. The mark of disgrace for abandoning IDF soldiers will be branded on every coalition member,” Bennett said.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, February 17, 2026

IDF overhauls pre-draft medical screening checks during military conscription process with AI

The IDF is overhauling its pre-draft medical screening to streamline the process, remove unnecessary exams, and introduce new tests for better accuracy and efficiency in preparing draft candidates.

Young Israelis arrive to the Israeli army recruitment center at Tel Hashomer, outside of Tel Aviv on March 17, 2020.

Bnei Brak clashes reflect long-building tensions within haredi society, researcher says - interview

An Israel Democracy Institute researcher says the violence reflects long-standing shifts within haredi society and mounting friction over IDF conscription.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clash with police following an assault on two female Israeli soldiers in Bnei Brak, central Israel, February 15, 2026.

Haredi draft bill could trigger 'collapse' of Israel's Right in elections, aliyah minister warns

The aliyah minister asserted in December that he would vote against the proposed haredi draft law even at the risk of being dismissed from the government, calling the current outline "shameful.

Minister of Immigration and Absorption Ofir Sofer holds a press conference at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025.

Former hostage Nimrod Cohen announces return to IDF: 'Didn't do enough during my mandatory service'

"I didn't really do my service, the way I see it. I served for ten months until I was kidnapped," Cohen said in an interview for N12's Ulpan Shishi.

Released Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen at the funeral of Israeli soldier Staff Sgt. Daniel Oz, at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba.

IDF warns of manpower crisis if ultra-Orthodox Jews not drafted by March

The IDF on Tuesday unveiled new pathways to increase haredi enlistment, aiming to prevent major troop shortages when 2,500 soldiers are released in January 2027.

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector has been protesting over the attempts to draft young haredi men into the military.

How I was nearly drafted into Ukraine's war: 'Post' reporter's account of Ukraine’s manpower crisis

The problem of draft dodging has become part of a broader crisis of manpower, according to locals, as Ukrainian soldiers have been worn down by a long and bloody war.

 Ukrainian military soldiers rest at a position on a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 5, 2025

Who's pulling the strings? Haredi parties draft bill tactics ahead of Iran war - analysis

As the coming weeks unfold, shifting dynamics to advance the draft bill will likely reveal who is really pulling the strings.

 Shas faction meeting in the Israeli parliament on December 8, 2025.

Lapid, Eisenkot, and Bennett back reservists at Jerusalem draft law protest

"I hope that Knesset receives the message to promote a draft law and not a [draft] evasion law," Eisenkot said.

Yair Lapid and Gadi Eisenkot embrace at draft law protests in Jerusalem on January 15, 2026.

Haredi protesters attack bus driver during protest in northern Jerusalem

The haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protest was against the IDF draft.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest against the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem, January 11, 2026; illustrative.