Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has instructed Israel’s Education Ministry to prepare to revoke after-school program discounts for individuals subject to military conscription who fail to report for service, as part of the government’s expanding civil sanctions tied to draft enforcement.

In an update submitted to the High Court of Justice, Baharav-Miara said the new policy is expected to take effect beginning with the 2026–2027 school year. Because of the limited time remaining before the summer session begins, however, the change will not apply to this year’s School of the Great Vacation program.

The attorney general also reported that additional sanctions have yet to be implemented. According to the filing, Transportation Minister Miri Regev has delayed the cancellation of public transportation discounts for those subject to the draft, while the government’s failure to transfer authority over municipal property tax benefits to the Prime Minister’s Office has prevented the revocation of arnona discounts.

The update was filed as part of ongoing High Court proceedings concerning enforcement of Israel’s military conscription requirements. Baharav-Miara noted that in November 2025, the High Court ordered the government to adopt effective enforcement measures against individuals who failed to report for military service, including both criminal penalties and civil and economic sanctions, while ensuring that enforcement is applied fairly and proportionately. After petitioners argued that the government had failed to implement the ruling, they filed a motion seeking to hold the government in contempt of court.

The attorney general also noted that, following the High Court’s decisions, individuals subject to the draft have already been barred from participating in Israel’s subsidized housing lottery program, Dira B’Hanacha. The government is also examining whether to revoke the benefit from applicants currently on waiting lists from previous lottery rounds.

In addition, the Labor Ministry has announced plans to expand the denial of discounts for government-subsidized day care centers and after-school programs under its authority. The Education Ministry has now been instructed to prepare to implement the same policy for the Nitzanim after-school program, which operates primarily in communities with large chareidi populations.

The filing also included updated military recruitment figures. According to the government, approximately 80,000 draft notices were issued to chareidi candidates for military service during the 2024 and 2025 recruitment cycles. Of those who received notices, about 8,000 reported for induction procedures, while roughly 2,900 ultimately enlisted.

The attorney general’s office further stated that there are currently approximately 92,000 individuals who are either subject to military service or are in the process of being officially designated as having failed to report for duty. About 80 percent of them belong to the chareidi community.

Baharav-Miara argued that draft evasion among the general population is “a very limited phenomenon,” adding that most non-chareidi draft evasion cases represent an accumulation of individual cases spanning many years rather than a widespread current trend.

According to the filing, from the beginning of 2026 through June 14, prosecutors filed 294 indictments against individuals officially designated as having failed to report for military service, including 32 involving members of the chareidi community. In addition, between August 2025 and May 2026, 1,136 draft-eligible individuals were tried in military disciplinary proceedings, of whom 424 were chareidim.

{Matzav.com}