Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has called on the High Court of Justice to order the revocation of financial benefits for approximately 110,000 Israelis classified as IDF draft evaders, the overwhelming majority of whom are Chareidim. In a legal opinion submitted to the court Wednesday, Baharav-Miara accused the government of failing to fully utilize its enforcement powers against those who have not reported for military service, prompting a furious response from Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, who accused her of deliberately targeting Torah learners just days before Israel’s national elections.

According to the figures presented to the court, approximately 110,000 Israelis are currently classified as draft evaders, with military estimates indicating that roughly 80% are members of the Chareidi community. The number has increased dramatically since the beginning of 2026, when approximately 75,000 individuals were classified as draft evaders.

The sharp increase follows the activation of tens of thousands of additional military draft orders, with officials expecting the number to continue rising. Baharav-Miara argued that the state has failed to exhaust the enforcement measures available under existing law and urged the court to intervene by ordering the withdrawal of economic benefits from those who have not fulfilled their military service obligations.

Deri responded with an unusually sharp attack against the attorney general, accusing her of pursuing a politically motivated campaign against the Chareidi community ahead of next Tuesday’s Knesset elections.

Describing Baharav-Miara as a “Kaplan activist,” a reference to the anti-government protest movement, Deri accused her of continuing to persecute Torah learners in an effort to help bring the political left to power.

“As far as she is concerned, the state is still not cruel enough,” Deri declared, warning that the measures being pursued against Chareidim demonstrated the extent of what he described as the attorney general’s aggressive campaign against the community.

The latest legal confrontation follows a unanimous High Court ruling last month overturning legislation intended to halt the arrests of yeshiva bochurim classified as draft evaders. The ruling was issued by an expanded panel of nine justices, including several considered judicial conservatives.

The court determined that the legislation suffered from a fundamental procedural defect because it had not passed a first reading in the Knesset. Eight of the nine justices additionally found that the amendment was unconstitutional because it seriously violated the constitutional right to equality.

The legislation had passed the Knesset in July by a vote of 58 to 54, with supporters seeking to prevent the continued arrest of yeshiva bochurim who had not reported for military service.

Following the court’s decision, Shas accused the justices of deepening divisions within Israeli society and interfering in the elections. The party argued that aggressive arrests would not produce additional IDF recruits and accused the judiciary of attempting to undermine legislation passed by elected lawmakers.

Despite the High Court’s decision to invalidate the legislation, authorities have largely refrained from conducting proactive arrest operations against Chareidi draft evaders in recent weeks. The new legal opinion submitted by Baharav-Miara seeks additional enforcement measures, particularly financial sanctions, against those classified as draft evaders.

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