Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the issuance of 7,000 additional draft orders for haredim, Israeli media reported Monday night.
Gallant discussed the issue of haredi recruitment with the IDF on Monday alongside Chief of Staff Maj. Maj. Herzi Halevi, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Maj. Amir Baram, the head of the Manpower Directorate Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.
During the discussion, IDF officials presented a summary of data from the first wave of recruitment, as well as “lessons” from the first wave of 3,000 recruitment orders sent, during which only a small percentage of recruited Haredim showed up. to the service, reported N12. At the end of this meeting, Gallant approved the issuance of recruitment orders for an initial selection and evaluation process.
“The increase in the number of orders aims to meet the goal established for recruitment,” the Defense Minister reported according to N12.
The IDF began the recruiting process for Haredi men of military age in mid-July. Initially, the IDF intended to send out 1,000 recruitment orders in three waves to reach its goal of 3,000 Haredi recruits by 2024, in addition to the 1,800 already scheduled to join the army. There have been protests against the recruitment of Haredis throughout the recruitment process, and due to the lack of Haredis reporting for service, the IDF has re-evaluated the necessary number of Haredis to recruit to meet its enlistment goals. Haredi protesters clash with Israel Police amid protests against the Haredi bill, August 5, 2024 (credit: Via Maariv)
The need for more soldiers in the IDF
Gallant stated: “The war and the challenges we face illustrate the need for more soldiers in the IDF. This is a real operational need that requires broad national mobilization from all parts of society,” N12 reported.
Previously, on Monday, the Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, received the report on the establishment of the haredi brigade, called the “Hashmonayim” Brigade, the IDF announced. This brigade aims to allow Haredis to enlist for combat service while maintaining their lifestyles.
So far, the process of recruiting command staff and setting up the infrastructure to receive the haredi recruits of the first company in December has been completed, according to the IDF.
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.
