Israel’s defense establishment is examining suspicions that psychiatrists and other civilian medical professionals are helping candidates for military service, including haredi youths, obtain mental health exemptions from the IDF through medical opinions that may not accurately reflect their condition, Ynet reported.
The examination began after the IDF identified an increase in the number of psychiatric opinions submitted by haredi military service candidates, coinciding with the expansion of draft order distribution and increased enforcement measures against those who fail to report for service.
The suspicions arose following recurring patterns in the documents, including numerous opinions originating from the same clinics, similar wording, and recommendations for exemptions that are sometimes submitted through law firms rather than directly by the candidates themselves.
The IDF stressed that consulting a civilian psychiatrist is not in itself unusual. The focus is on cases in which there is reason to suspect that the document does not accurately reflect the candidate’s actual medical condition.
Since the IDF does not have enforcement authority over civilian doctors, it has begun discussions with the Health Ministry and is preparing to involve the Israel Police to examine whether a criminal investigation should be opened.
Military officials also say that organizations opposed to haredi enlistment are encouraging young men to seek mental health exemptions, while telling them that the information will not be shared with outside parties and will not affect their driver’s licenses or future employment opportunities.
The IDF added that the phenomenon is not limited to the haredi community. Cases have also been identified in which documents were submitted on behalf of military service candidates without their knowledge.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated: “The phenomenon of medical opinions that do not correspond with the medical condition of the military service candidate and are submitted on behalf of candidates is known to and being addressed by the IDF. In addition, the IDF is cooperating with the Israel Police in order to eradicate the phenomenon."