IDF Crackdown: Roadblocks Target Haredi Draft Dodgers

The Israeli army confirmed Sunday evening that it will begin issuing conscription notices to tens of thousands of Haredi men whose draft exemptions expired after the repeal of the previous draft law. The summonses will be sent out in waves over the next month, with all 54,000 orders expected to be delivered by the end of July.

In a statement, the IDF said the call-up applies to yeshiva students whose deferment status is no longer valid, emphasizing the urgent need to replenish ranks amid growing operational demands. While such announcements have been made in the past, senior military officials made clear in conversations with Kikar HaShabbat that this time, enforcement is real—and aggressive.

“For the first time,” said one IDF official, “the army plans to arrest draft dodgers at checkpoints leading into Haredi cities. Traffic police will also be instructed to run license checks and hand over deserters to the military police.”

According to internal planning documents and testimonies, the army intends to place roadblocks at entry points to major Haredi population centers. Soldiers will conduct identity checks, searching for yeshiva students or kollel members listed as absent without leave (AWOL) or officially classified as deserters.

This unprecedented step comes alongside the unveiling of a new draft law, presented Sunday afternoon by MK Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to Shas representative Ariel Atias. The draft legislation—still in early form—outlines ambitious enlistment quotas and potential economic sanctions on both individuals and institutions.

Coalition sources confirm that under pressure from Haredi parties, the government is pushing to fast-track the law’s final wording and complete its passage through the Knesset within the next two weeks—well before the end of the summer session.

Yet even this accelerated timeline may not prevent political upheaval. Both Aryeh Deri (Shas) and Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) have repeatedly warned that the moment a single yeshiva student is arrested in a public location—not at the airport or in special cases—they will withdraw their parties from the coalition.

That scenario may be closer than ever. With IDF roadblocks imminent and no final draft law in place, any arrest could trigger a dramatic political rupture.

Tensions reached new heights Sunday evening when Prime Minister Netanyahu delayed his departure for Washington. Although his office attributed the delay to a security briefing, political sources told N12 that Haredi leaders had issued an ultimatum: demonstrate progress on the draft law—or don’t board the plane.

Inside the Haredi world, pressure is also building from religious leadership. The newly released draft includes a target of 50% enlistment from each annual draft class within four years—a figure that has sparked fierce resistance from top rabbis. The proposed law also includes financial penalties for non-compliance, both at the individual and institutional levels.

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef addressed the issue during his weekly sermon Saturday night, seated alongside Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, a senior Shas figure and head of the Or HaChaim yeshiva. Rabbi Yosef declared that the Council of Torah Sages of Shas will convene to discuss the bill in depth, and warned the government not to underestimate the spiritual power of Torah scholars.

“If the government understood how much yeshiva students protect the army and the entire world,” said Rabbi Yosef, “they would reward them twice over—not threaten them with sanctions.”

As the legal, political, and religious stakes escalate, Israel is entering uncharted territory. Whether the state can—or should—compel mass enlistment of the Haredi sector may define not just the future of the IDF, but the future of the coalition itself.