IDF haredi draft call-up falters as protests and legal challenges disrupt recruitment efforts

Only dozens out of 1,000 haredim who were sent draft notices for Monday and Tuesday actually showed up to IDF recruitment offices, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Tuesday, marking the historic first batch of haredi call-ups as a near-failure.

The IDF has not yet provided official numbers, probably embarrassed by the result, but the numbers speak for themselves.

Some defense officials claim that many more haredim (ultra-Orthodox) had originally planned to show for their draft date, maybe as high as 50%, but that the intimidation both in the general online and public spheres as well as physical intimidation by haredi protesters near the recruitment offices scared most of them away.

Other observers say that the defense establishment was kidding itself and that without buy-in from more top haredi rabbis and political officials, all of the IDF attempts at haredi-centric public relations were always doomed to fall flat, along with the draft numbers.

Hundreds of haredi men showed up in protest in front of the recruitment office at the base on Monday and again on Tuesday, chanting, “We will die and not enlist.”

At one point, protesters began throwing bottles at the police, who surrounded the area with barriers and trucks to prevent access from the parking lot to the base gate.

Police clash with protesters over haredi recruitment

Border Police and the Israel Police forcefully attempted to disperse the crowd on horseback.

Some demonstrators managed to enter the Tel Hashomer base from a side entrance, as security forces rushed towards them and began arresting protesters.

The IDF responded to the protests and break-in, calling it a “serious offense against the law.”

“In the last few hours, dozens of protesters tried to break into the Tel Hashomer base during demonstrations held outside the base.

“Breaking into IDF bases is a serious offense and against the law. The IDF condemns the violent behavior and insists that justice must be brought forth against the perpetrators.” the IDF said.

“Recruiting ultra-Orthodox is a necessary operational necessity, takes place in accordance with the law, and we are determined to continue promoting it,” the IDF said.

THE HIGH Court of Justice in June ordered the IDF to immediately draft haredim in large numbers, with the IDF committing to drafting 3,000 haredim, and to sending out 3,000 summons in spurts of 1,000 each every two weeks over a six-week period starting in mid-July and going into mid to late August.

Monday and Tuesday were the dates that the first 1,000 summoned haredim were due to show up at three recruitment centers specially tailored to their needs, including only male recruitment officers.

Top IDF officials had said that they might need to issue between 6,000 to 24,000 summons to get 3,000 haredim to actually show up, but based on the very limited progress this week, even 24,000 summons might only garner half or less of the minimum the IDF committed to the High Court.

Surprisingly, it appears that the IDF and the police were not at all ready for physical intimidation by haredi protesters against potential haredi recruits. There is no sense so far that the IDF thought about alternatives to giving haredi protesters an obvious address to attack, such as arranging many low-key and less recognizable ad hoc recruitment areas, the way the Mossad often works.

The call-ups came amidst ongoing debates over a new haredi draft bill in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC). Likud Party chairman MK Yuli Edeldstein has said that the bill’s purpose is to provide the IDF with its necessary manpower from the haredi public, with a practical focus on getting the actual numbers, as opposed to antagonizing the haredi public by attempting sweeping draft measures.

However, members of Knesset from the opposition and even from the coalition have pointed that the bill’s necessity is unclear, as the IDF has the prerogative to relieve a number of haredim from duty in order for them to continue full-time yeshiva studies. The IDF already has similar programs in place for outstanding athletes, celebrities, and other extraordinary population groups, who receive exemptions or reductions of service without the need for a specific bill.

However, Edelstein responded to the protests on Monday with criticism of the IDF for sending out the first summons without a new bill in place.

“The sending of draft summons in a rushed, arrogant, and one-sided way not only was a resounding failure but caused the opposite result,” Edelstein said. “The High Court of Justice and the defense ministry chose to fire and forget, and here is the result. Now everyone understands that there is only one way to bring about a historic rectification, one that will heal the public and insert necessary fighting forces into the IDF. Only a draft bill conducted in a level-headed, responsible, and thorough way will bring about the draft of haredim. Any other gimmick – is destined to join 76 years of failure,” Edelstein wrote.