Military Police arrested a Chareidi “draft dodger” early Monday morning at his home in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem, the first proactive arrest of a ben yeshivah since the start of Operation Roaring Lion.

Following his arrest, he was transferred to military prison, where he is expected to appear before a judge.

The arrest followed the High Court ruling on Sunday, in which the judges demanded that the state sanction Bnei Torah and their families.

In the ruling, Deputy Supreme Court President Justice Noam Sohlberg also slammed the police for halting enforcement actions against draft evaders: “A complete avoidance by the police of exercising its authority, effectively leaving that authority unused, cannot be justified by claims of prioritization, and budgetary constraints or lack of resources are not an excuse,” he wrote.

HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau spoke following the court’s decision, saying: “Bnei yeshivos will not go to the army under any circumstances, neither by coercion nor willingly, whether there is a law or not.”

The Rosh Yeshiva added: “The judicial authorities continue in their wrongdoing; ultimately, the wicked will be held accountable. We will not relate to their decrees—we will ignore them, and they and their decrees will dissipate.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)