Rep. Lawler letter asking Netanyahu to exempt dual citizens from draft dodging arrests resurfaces
JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 8:04 PM UTC
2 min read
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Lawler’s letter, now circulating again, asked Israel to safeguard the mobility of US-Israel dual citizens impacted by attorney-general directives linked to haredi draft evasion.
A letter sent by US Representative Mike Lawler (R-New York) to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September, requesting that dual citizens be exempt from the attorney-general's order to sanction yeshiva students who attempted to evade the IDF draft process, resurfaced on Tuesday.
Lawler was concerned that "these measures include travel restrictions preventing individuals who are dual citizens of the US and Israel from leaving the country."
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In the letter, Lawler asked Netanyahu to "ensure that these American citizens are allowed to leave Israel freely and have the ability to visit and return to the US if they choose."
US citizens, "like all citizens, deserve the full protection afforded by their nationality, particularly those who maintain deep familial, professional, and personal ties in the US through their dual citizenship," he affirmed.
It remains unclear why the letter was re-circulating on social media over recent days.
Lawler's constituency, New York's 17th District, comprises Rockland County and parts of Duchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties, just north of New York City, and has a notable percentage of Jewish residents.
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He was elected to Congress in 2022, entering office in January 2023.
Lawler also serves as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including chairing the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee.
Lawler hosts Herzog, discuss bilateral relations, antisemitism
Lawler met with President Isaac Herzog during the latter's visit to New York City, saying it was his honor to "discuss US-Israel relations" with the president, including the "importance of standing together against the rising tide of antisemitism."
"We are committed to strengthening the US-Israel partnership and ensuring that Jewish communities here in the United States feel safe, supported, and protected," Lawler affirmed in his post on X/Twitter after the meeting.