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Israel’s military police detained dozens of yeshiva students at Ben Gurion Airport for draft evasion after they arrived back home from a year of religious study in New York – a move criticised by Benjamin Netanyahu.
More than 40 men from the Chabad-Lubavitch community were detained. Those who who refuse to enlist could face military prison, the IDF has warned.
The students were transferred to the military's induction centre at Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, yesterday, where officials said they would be offered the opportunity to enlist in a track adapted to their religious lifestyle.
Those who agree to serve could receive suspended disciplinary sentences and be released from custody, while those who refuse face imprisonment. Cases already referred to the military prosecution may be treated differently.
מעצר די דרמטי בנתב"ג: עשרות בחורים חסידי חב"ד נחתו בארץ אחרי שנת ישיבה ב-770 בארה"ב והתגלו כעריקים, הם מעוכבים כעת לדין משמעתי. https://t.co/AbcmxapcOz
— שילה פריד🇮🇱 (@shilofreid) October 20, 2026
Chabad has traditionally operated an arrangement allowing students to spend a year abroad before returning to enlist.
However, the arrangement no longer has a legal basis for students without formal “Torato Umanuto” (Torah study as a vocation) status, which allows eligible full-time yeshiva students to defer military service.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who, with Israelis heading to polls in just a week, is fighting to remain in office – hit out at the men’s arrests.
Speaking to Charedi radio station Kol Berama, the Likud leader said: “We must preserve the world of Torah because it preserved us. These arrests are a deliberate attempt to harm the process of drafting Charedim without coercion.”
He added that “anyone who does not study” at yeshivas “should go enlist.”
Chabad representatives also criticised the detentions, arguing that many members of the movement serve in the IDF and that some of those detained had intended to enlist.
The IDF said it was enforcing compulsory military service law equally and had prepared for the students' arrival. It added that those willing to serve would be directed towards appropriate military programmes.
The detentions come amid growing tensions over Charedi conscription and exemptions from military service.
The IDF has said the army has a shortfall of 15,000 personnel, with soldiers still serving across multiple fronts since October 7 2023.
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