There are currently 30,000 Israelis designated as draft evaders, half of whom are members of the ultra-Orthodox community and half whose religious affiliation cannot be determined with certainty, Lt. Col. Avigdor Dickstein, head of the Haredi branch of the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday.

Some of those with unknown religious affiliations are believed to be members of the general public, while others are part of the ultra-Orthodox community, Dickstein said, adding that the number of designated evaders is expected to rise by many thousands over the coming month.

His comments came as the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee rushed to complete a marathon series of discussions on the government’s proposed military conscription bill for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.

If passed into law, the bill would grant renewed service exemptions to full-time yeshiva students while purportedly increasing conscription among graduates of Haredi educational institutions.

Critics, including the IDF brass and attorney general, have objected to the bill on the grounds that it is full of loopholes and will not increase Haredi enlistment, while hardline Haredi elements object to legislation conscripting or sanctioning any members of their community.

Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted. The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000........

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