IDF deletes video advising Haredi draft evaders on avoiding airport arrest

An official IDF social media channel posted a video offering advice to ultra-Orthodox men evading military service on how to avoid arrest at Ben-Gurion Airport. The video, which featured an AI-generated figure named "Dudi the Explainer," was later removed after Army Radio reported on its existence and questioned the IDF about it.

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Imagine you arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport, your suitcase is packed, but you are blocked at the gate... this is exactly what happens when you ignore a draft order.

The video, published on the military's Instagram channel for Haredi service members, hardim.idf, appeared ahead of the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Uman, Ukraine, which is expected to draw thousands of Israelis. The AI figure advised Haredi men facing travel restrictions to visit a recruitment office with medical documents, suggesting this would allow them to avoid detention at the airport.

"The immediate consequence of that is a travel ban. If you continue waiting, the next step is official designation as a draft evader and arrest," the AI figure stated in the video. It then offered the alternative: "A brief visit to the recruitment center with medical documents, and this order is behind you."

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The immediate consequence of that is a travel ban. If you continue waiting, the next step is official designation as a draft evader and arrest.

It remains unclear whether the IDF possesses a system to prevent individuals from reporting for an initial summons, subsequently avoiding a departure restriction, traveling to Uman, and then failing to complete their enlistment process upon returning to Israel. The video was removed approximately one hour after Army Radio's report, indicating a swift response to the controversy.

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But this story can also have a different ending: A brief visit to the recruitment center with medical documents, and this order is behind you.