Israel army ‘using Facebook to rumble draft-dodgers’

The Israeli army is using Facebook to expose women who evade military service by pretending to be religious, the Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday.
By using the popular social networking site, the army has managed to track down around 1,000 women who lied about being religiously observant, the paper said, quoting a senior army official who addressed a parliamentary committee on Monday.
One woman was caught out after she posted a photograph showing her eating in a non-kosher restaurant, while others were caught wearing revealing clothing, Brigadier-General Amir Rogovsky told MPs debating the issue of religious women’s exemption from military service.
Others were caught out by accepting invitations to parties on a Friday night — which were sent out as bait by the soldiers involved in sniffing out the fakers, said Rogovsky, who is the personnel manager in the army’s manpower division.
Military service is compulsory for Israelis over the age of 18, with men serving three years and women two years.
However, women who sign a declaration saying they eat only kosher food and do not work on the sabbath, are exempt.
When a woman submits a statement declaring herself to be religious, the army has 60 days to challenge it.
Rogovsky said the army had six offices involved in tracking down those who falsely declared themselves to be religious.