Exemption from military service in Israel

Exemption from military service in Israel is covered by the Israeli Security Service Law, which regulates the process of Israeli military conscription. This law allows Israeli citizens drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be exempt if they meet certain criteria. The IDF drafts people from three communities: the Jews, the Druze, and the Circassians. Both men and women from the Jewish community are drafted, while only men from the Druze and Circassian communities are required to serve.

People can be exempt for several reasons, including being living outside the country, having health or mental health issues, strong personal beliefs against fighting, or having a criminal record that is reviewed by authorities. Jewish women may also be exempt if they are married, pregnant, have children, or have strong religious beliefs that affect their daily life, as described in parts of the Security Service Law.

For Haredi Jews, military service used to be shorter or not required at all if they were studying religion full time at a yeshiva. However, in June 2024, Israel's Supreme Court decided that Haredi Jews must serve in the military, ending an exemption that lasted almost 80 years. The army started calling Haredi men for service the following month.

Arab citizens of Israel, making up about 21% of the population, are also not required to join the military. This is not because of a specific law but because of decisions made by the IDF. This means Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, and Bedouins do not have to serve, though they can choose to join voluntarily. The Bedouin community is known for many people choosing to serve in the IDF even though they do not have to.

Statistics

In 2007, about 35% of Jewish women who could have joined the Israeli military said they were not able to because of their religious beliefs. For men, around 27.7% did not join the military. Some said they were not able because of their religious studies, while others had health reasons, criminal records, or lived outside the country.

By 2020, around 33% of men and 44% of women were allowed not to join the military. Some of these people were from religious groups, while others were not religious or followed a specific type of religious belief. There was also an increase in people being allowed not to join because of mental health reasons.

Non-recruitment

In Israel, certain people can be excused from joining the army for different reasons. This can be because of the size of the military, educational needs, settlement needs, security needs, economy needs, family needs, and other various reasons.

A medical board can also decide if someone is not healthy enough to serve in the army. For example, Gila Golan was not required to join the army because she did not know her age.

Draft evasion

In 2005, about 32% of Jewish women in Israel did not join the military because of their religious beliefs. By 2008, this number had grown to 44%, with many saying they were religious when they were not, just to avoid service. Because of this, the military started checking more carefully to see if people were telling the truth about their beliefs.

Some people tried other ways to avoid joining the military, like getting married just to get an exemption, showing fake health papers, or leaving Israel before they could be called up.

If someone did not show up for their required military recruitment, they were considered to have avoided the draft. The military would then issue a warrant to arrest them. If caught, they could face either a small punishment or a trial in a military court.

Mental health exemptions

The Israeli military could also allow Jewish people to avoid service if they had mental health issues. However, in 2022, the rules for these exemptions were made stricter to prevent misuse.

Main article: conscientious objector

Main articles: plausible deniability

Public censure

In Israel, not joining the army when you are supposed to is seen as wrong by most people. After the 2006 Lebanon War, many people in the media spoke out against those who did not join the army, especially for important fighting jobs. Leaders like Head of Human Resources Elazar Stern and Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the army was changing from being for everyone to being for only some people.

Some famous people in Israel were criticized for not joining the army when they were young. For example:

• Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik said she was religious and was allowed not to serve.
• Israeli rock singer Aviv Geffen said he did not serve and encouraged others not to join the army.
• Israeli model Bar Refaeli married just before her recruitment day and was allowed not to serve.
• Israeli singer Jacko Eisenberg was also allowed not to serve and did not regret it.
• Israeli singer Maya Buskila was allowed not to serve because she said she was religious. Later, she felt bad about not serving and joined the army when she was older.

Impact on civilian life

In Israel, a person's military service is often talked about during job interviews and is something job seekers might include on their resume. In 2003, a court in Tel Aviv said it is unfair to require someone to have done military service for a job if that service is not related to the job. Laws were changed in the mid-1990s to stop employers from asking about a person's military record during interviews. However, it is still legal to ask whether someone has served in the military or not. Even with these changes, many people in Israel still have a negative view of those who have not served in the military. For example, many job ads say only people who have done "full military service" will be considered.