A growing number of Israeli youth are securing exemptions from IDF service due to emotional or mental health issues, the Knesset State Control Committee was informed Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. Amir Vadamni, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate's Planning and Personnel Management Division, told the committee that "the numbers of exemptions from military service are going up steadily, reflecting the Haredi community's growing segment of the population, and the most worrying data is about the number of exemptions issued for mental health problems."

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In 2018, 7.9% of all potential recruits received exemptions for medical or mental health reasons. In 2019, that number rose to 9%. The projection for 2020 is that 11.9% of potential recruits this year will have received exemptions on medical grounds or for reasons of mental health.

Translated into numbers, some 2,000 potential recruits this year were exempted on physical or mental health grounds before even enlisting. Since the percentage of exemptions for medical issues has not changed dramatically, most of the increased exemptions are issued on grounds of mental health issues.

Vadamni presented an analysis of the data and told the committee that "The generation of recruits has changed its profile and there is high awareness of psychological evaluation that was not common in the past, but there is social [also] social legitimacy for not serving in the IDF. The ethos of service is being eroded."

'An industry of exemptions'

In effect, the numbers presented above indicate that one out of every eight potential recruit in 2020 will have been exempted from military service. This is in addition to the 16% of potential recruits who claim exemption as yeshiva students, meaning that one-third of Jewish youths do not enlist in the military. Of those who do enlist, 11% do not complete their service and are discharged early

Vadamni stressed that "there is an industry of issuing exemptions from military service. Pay 1,500 shekels [$460], and you're released. There is growing social legitimacy to not serve, especially not in combat roles."

Ariel Ben-Yehuda, head of the IDF Medical Corps' Mental Health Division, said, "Currently, soldiers meet with an IDF psychologist within a week [of asking to]. Availability has not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and has even increased somewhat, because we transitioned to distanced treatment in the early stages of the crisis."

Committee chairman MK Ofer Shelah (Yesh Atid) called the numbers of exemptions being issued "nothing less than horrifying."

"The army of the people is collapsing before our eyes. The numbers of exemptions on mental health grounds is approaching the percentage of Haredim who don't enlist because they are in yeshiva, and one-third of potential male recruits simply will not be serving in the military. Where is the government? Not doing a thing," Shelah said.

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Speaking to host Aryeh Golan, Akunis said that the Likud party under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not lend a hand to turning Israel into a state governed by Jewish law.

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"If there is a need, we will carry out [infrastructure] work on the Sabbath. There will be work on Shabbat to avoid inconveniencing the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians who need to use the trains. This is not a violation of the status quo," Akunis said.

Turning to a controversial bill that would make conscription of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students mandatory, Akunis said, "We absolutely intend to see more and more haredim enlisting in the IDF – and incidentally, that's already happening. The Likud, including myself, see IDF service as a most important value. We are in a dispute with the haredim about it, true, but we'll continue to integrate them [haredim], and eventually, in my opinion, it will benefit them. I'm in favor of full service for everyone."

Akunis said that even if Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman repeated his "lie" about a "state run by Jewish law" every time he discussed the September Knesset election, "it still wouldn't make it true."

"Israel under the Likud headed by Netanyahu – and not only under Netanyahu – has always been a Jewish, democratic state. Not a state run by Jewish law. That's how it will continue to be," Akunis said.

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The idea of mandatory military service for Ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students, who have traditionally been exempt from conscription, has been a spoke in the wheels of the process of putting together the next governing coalition. The main sticking point has been that the haredi factions oppose a law that would impose conscription that was authorized by the defense establishment under former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who says he will not agree to the legislation being altered in the slightest to accommodate the haredi demands.

In response, the haredi factions are working on a solution that would not entail any change to the proposed draft bill, which would mean Lieberman could support it. However, the haredim would seek to add a declaration that is important to their rabbis, which would state that any yeshiva student who wanted to continue studying Torah would be able to do so.

The haredim said the defense establishment could add the rabbinical declaration.

In addition, the haredim want to pass a basic law that would enshrine in law the importance of Torah study, hoping that a basic law would prevent the High Court from rejecting laws exempting yeshiva students from military service on the grounds that the exemption violates the principle of equality.

"The haredi string-pullers are once again trying tricky maneuvers with the IDF's [haredi] draft bill," Lapid wrote on Twitter.

"The draft bill should be passed exactly as it is written. Without additions, without money on the side, without codicils, without a 'Basic Law: The Importance of Torah Study,' whose only purpose is to allow people to evade IDF service," Lapid wrote.

Lapid tagged Lieberman and said, "You gave your word."

One haredi official involved in the negotiations had harsh words for Lieberman in a conversation with Israel Hayom.

"We, along with the [national] religious, represent 20 seats, whereas Lieberman is only worth five," the official said.

"Nevertheless, we are the ones who are willing to take steps to accommodate him. With 20 seats, we could easily demand that a law different from the one the defense establishment wrote be passed, something that we would agree with – and still, we're saying that we're willing to compromise on the Defense Ministry bill, even without changes to it, other than one declarative clause that will ensure that those who study Torah will be able to continue to study Torah," the official continued.

"The Defense Ministry's draft bill is inconvenient for the haredi world, and yet we're the ones who are compromising. Avigdor Lieberman doesn't even need to dial back his demand that the bill pass as-is," the official said.

Meanwhile, the National Union responded on Tuesday to a report in Israel Hayom that if Smotrich is not given the justice portfolio, he will ask for the public security portfolio and seek the authority to appoint a new police commissioner.

Smotrich stressed on Tuesday that if he did not receive the justice portfolio, he would seek the education portfolio. According to his agreement with Habayit Hayehudi chairman Rafi Peretz, whose party ran with the National Union on a joint ticket, Smotrich has the first pick of portfolios. However, despite his denials, party sources said it was possible that Smotrich would agree to serve as public security minister.

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