Posted on 07/17/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
During a session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday, Knesset members asked the IDF representatives to tell them how many pre-draft evaluation orders would be sent to haredim on Sunday.
However Brig. Gen. Shai Taib, who was sent to the committee by the IDF, refused to answer the question and said: "I'll only know tomorrow evening when I finish calculating the data."
Ynet published a page out of the notebook belonging to one of the IDF representatives at the session which read: "Do not say how many orders were sent! Do not say what the criteria are." The notes also read: "3,000 heredim, more than the usual 1,800. An operative placement and sorting process."
The IDF Spokesperson responded to the report: "The report on Ynet about supposed 'notes in the notebook of an IDF Spokesperson representative' is baseless. The picture shows the notebook of an officer who was at the session and wrote down the comments of the committee members and not the IDF Spokesperson's 'notes.' Any claim otherwise is incorrect."
According to the IDF and Defense Ministry representatives, every potential draftee is evaluated based on parameters of age and several others while considering which potential draftees could answer the operational demands.
MK Gadi Eisenkot claimed during the discussion that if there is a will to induct 3,000 haredim, the military must send 8,000 orders to realistically reach the goal.
The IDF announced that this coming Sunday, July 21st, 2024, the process of issuing initial summons orders for the first call-up and for the assessment and evaluation procedures ahead of the upcoming recruitment cycle, which begins in July, will commence.
"The summons orders are part of the IDF's program to promote the integration of members of the haredi community into its ranks. The IDF is working to recruit from all parts of society in light of the conscription requirement in Israel, due to its status as the people's army and in view of the increased operational needs at this time, given the security challenges," the announcement reads.