The State Comptroller referred in his annual report issued Tuesday to the fact that the Haredi public uses the opportunity to receive draft exemptions based on mental issues two or three times more than other sectors of the population.
Between March and July 2014, 1094 haredi youths of draft age were sampled at conscription centers and more than half of them were recommended to be exempted from army service based on psychological issues. During 2015 the numbers grew even more.
The IDF responded by stating that it is hard to determine whether the youths are pretending or whether they have real psychological issues.