Doctor arrested for desertion after 7 years

Dentist who left Israel for Australia at age of 17 sent to military prison shortly after arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport to visit his grandmother's grave
Hanan Greenberg

A 24-year-old man living in Australia was arrested recently after landing at Ben-Gurion Airport of suspicion of deserting military service.

The young man, who left Israel with his parents at the age of 17, was taken to Military Prison No. 4 in Tzrifin.

Fly by Night

Air Force officer declared a deserter / Hanan Greenberg

IAF major privy to highly sensitive information declared absent without authorized leave after flying to US, failing to report back

Full story

The man arrived in Israel to visit his grandmother's grave and has no plans to stay in the country for an extended period of time. His wife and 10-month-old son are waiting for him in Australia, where he studied dentistry.

The doctor arrived in Israel on Saturday evening, and was informed of his arrest for failing to serve in the Israel Defense Forces after passing the passport control.

At first he thought the incident was a joke, but quickly realized that this was a real issue he must deal with. Despite the somewhat off circumstances, the IDF decided not to give up and the Military Prosecution filed an indictment against the man.

According to the charges, the young man was scheduled to be drafted on March 2005 and has been considered a deserter ever since. According to the IDF, he was absent from 1,348 days of military service.

According to the Military Prosecution, the man left the country without settling the issue with the IDF and is therefore considered a deserter with all implications.

Detainee in difficult mental state

The army asked the court to extend the man's remand until the legal proceedings against him are completed. In the meantime, the dentist is being held in Military Prison No. 4. According to sources in the detention facility, he is in a difficult mental state and won't stop crying.

The doctor's lawyer, Attorney Yevgeny Yaakobov, said Friday during a hearing at the Jaffa Military Court that the young man should not be kept in detention for more than several days, during which the affair's circumstances will be clarified.

The lawyer added that his client was in a difficult mental state. The judge, Lieutenant-Colonel Yifat Tomer, ruled that for the time being the doctor will remain in custody until Wednesday.

Attorney Yaakobov told Ynet at the end of the court hearing that his client had left the country at the age of 17 in order to join his parents who had immigrated to Australia.

"They are not asking him to bear responsibility for this issue, even though he has nothing to do with this state and is living his entire life in Australia," the lawyer explained.

"His mental state is extremely troubling and I hope the authorities show some consideration to this unusual case and provide a proper response, both to his mental state and to the circumstances of the arrest in general."