Israel releases 143 draft evaders over alleged failure of military personnel to arrive — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, 143 detained draft evaders were released between July 1 and October 12 because Israel Defense Forces representatives allegedly did not arrive within the established timeframe. This is stated in a document from Israel’s Attorney General’s Office, cited by The Jerusalem Post.
These people were detained during random encounters with police officers. Under the described procedure, IDF representatives were supposed to arrive at the police within half an hour. Instead of being transferred to the Military Police, the detainees were issued summonses to appear before conscription authorities. Military Police representatives said at a meeting that they were unaware of the cited figures.
Review of release cases
A meeting on monitoring conscription enforcement was held on October 14 under the chairmanship of Israel’s Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon. It took place ahead of an update to the High Court of Justice in cases concerning enforcement of the ruling on drafting yeshiva students.
Limon called the number of releases high and said it could indicate a failure in implementing the joint procedure between the agencies. Police were instructed to provide the Military Police with data on these cases so that the IDF could review them, draw conclusions and take measures to reduce such situations. Updated information is to be provided by November 1.
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During the same period, police also reported 14 detentions of draft evaders during random encounters. The document does not directly explain how this figure relates to the 143 release cases.
Postponed operation and border control
The document also recorded that a joint police and IDF operation planned for October was postponed for the second time. Police demanded substantial reinforcement, including hundreds of military personnel, as a condition for approving the operation. Army representatives called this demand impractical and inconsistent with the division of powers: the military are to carry out detentions, while maintaining public order falls within police jurisdiction.
Separately, the document points to gaps in border control. In September, more than 200 people subject to compulsory military service were detained. In 64 cases, draft evaders were detained at Ben-Gurion Airport after returning to Israel: when leaving, they had not been identified as persons subject to service. The Population and Immigration Authority said it had referred these cases to police for investigation on suspicion of illegally crossing the border, but police said they were unaware of receiving such reports.
The IDF was also again instructed to provide the criteria used to determine which draft evaders are allowed to leave the country or return home, and which are detained while crossing the border.
