Report: Nearly half of Israeli youth fail to enter or complete IDF service
Mental health and religious exemptions were the most prevalent reasons given to the IDF last year
Nearly half of Israeli youths in 2019 failed to enter or complete their mandatory military service in the Israeli Defense Forces, Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot reported on Sunday.
Citing newly published data collected by the IDF, the newspaper reported that 32.9% of men received military service exemptions due to mental health reasons, with another 15% dropping out from the army in line with historical averages.
Coupled together, nearly half of men (47.9%) failed to complete their military service, raising concerns among the institution's top brass.
The numbers were similar for women, with 44.3% being exempt from their military service, according to Yediot Aharonot.
In its assessment, the IDF's Manpower Directorate said that youths claiming to suffer from mental illness was the most prevalent reason contributing to the phenomenon, followed by religious purposes.
But the directorate believes that many of these medical claims are fraudulent in nature, and not simply explained by a sudden mental health crisis permeating through Israel's teenage population.
According to the Defense Service Law, the army allows potential conscripts to be exempt from military service for medical or psychological reasons, pregnancy, religion (those studying in a yeshiva and observant women), or conscientious objection.