Third of youth evade conscription

Haaretz 24 June 2003

By Gideon Alon

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=310808&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

About 34 percent of youngsters of conscription age are not recruited to the army or are ejected from after joining, IDF manpower division commander Major General Gil Regev said yesterday.

Speaking to a sub-committee of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Regev said 11.5 percent of conscripts do not enlist or are discharged because of mental health and 9.5 percent are yeshiva students exempt from military service.

An estimated 5 percent of the youngsters live abroad with their parents who have left Israel, and therefore do not serve in the army, 2.6 percent are not drafted because they fail to meet the threshold due to low IQ or other reasons, and 1.4 percent have criminal records for murder, manslaughter or serious crimes and the army declines their services.

Another 9 percent drop out during their service for health reasons.