The Persecution Continues: Attorney General Demands Additional Personal

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. — Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90

The Attorney General, Adv. Gali Baharav-Miara, is demanding additional personal sanctions be imposed on young Haredi men who are designated for military service but do not report for IDF enlistment. This is in addition to the cancellation of daycare subsidies and the freezing of budget allocations to yeshivas and kollels for those designated for service.

The new list of sanctions includes restrictions on subsidized housing programs, revoking benefits, and municipal tax discounts.

The list of sanctions proposed by the Attorney General includes:

- Revoking housing benefits - assistance with rent and home purchases

- Eliminating Ministry of Economy benefits for small and medium businesses - Making municipal tax discounts conditional on the applicant not evading military service

In a letter sent by Adv. Gil Limon, Deputy Attorney General, to Adv. Hila Ehrlich-Omar, Legal Advisor to the Defense Ministry, he writes: "In a meeting held on March 3, 2025, on this subject led by the Attorney General, the acute need of the military to increase the number of service members was raised once again. For this purpose, it was raised that increased enforcement measures are required against members of the Haredi public who are obligated to serve and refuse to comply with the reporting orders sent to them, with the goal of filling the military's ranks and meeting the pressing security needs."

According to him: "Based on data presented by the military, in the absence of effective enforcement measures, the reporting rate among this group is negligible. As a result, the burden of military service resulting from the war's needs is heavily placed on the public serving in regular service and reserves."

Limon argues: "Beyond the severe violation of equality, the military faces a significant shortage of manpower needed to fulfill its missions. The systematic and widespread evasion of military service obligation therefore harms the state's security."