TPS: Opposition Lawmakers Demand IDF Data on Yeshiva Student Arrests
Opposition MKs have demanded IDF data on draft-evading yeshiva student arrests following a High Court ruling, fearing enforcement has effectively halted.
Jerusalem, 19 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Opposition MKs Efrat Rayten, Ram Ben Barak, Orit Farkash-Hacohen and Oded Forer wrote Saturday night to IDF Chief Military Prosecutor Maj. Gen. Itay Ophir, demanding clarifications and data on the scope of desertion-related arrests and enforcement against draft-evading yeshiva students since the start of 2026.
The letter follows a September 3 High Court ruling that struck down the law freezing such arrests. The lawmakers say they fear that even after that freeze law was invalidated, enforcement against Haredi draft evaders has continued to drop sharply, to the point of an effective halt.
“Enforcing the duty to serve equally and effectively is not merely a legal issue,” the letter states. “It directly affects the IDF’s ability to expand its ranks, and the trust and fairness owed to the hundreds of thousands of regular and reserve soldiers carrying the security burden.”