Dear friends,
We have written to you different updates in the past few weeks, sharing with you ongoing news about the huge refusal wave and civil resistance movement against the extreme right-wing Israeli government’s plans to turn Israel into a settler-led autocracy. Should this happen, the people most affected would be all minorities under Israeli rule, but mostly Palestinians under military occupation.
This is the time to act. Even though the Netanyahu government paused its power-grab legislation, this fight is far from over. At least 200,000 Israelis turned out over the weekend, showing that they are not backing down. At the same time anti-occupation activists are using this momentum to bring more people closer to the anti-occupation movement.
We need to show the Israelis bravely resisting autocracy that the world is watching and that they have our support. Sign this petition showing you stand with Israelis fighting for democracy for all.
Global support for reserve soldiers who joined the resistance movement is especially crucial. The military is the institution the Israeli government derives most of its power from, both within the green line and in the Palestinian territories. The past weeks have shown that when enough soldiers refuse, the government will have to back down.
But this is going to be a long and difficult struggle. Netanyahu is doing everything he can to demonize protesters and refusers, calling them “traitors” and “anarchists.”
It is up to us to make sure the refusers know they have the world behind them. Each one of us needs to support the biggest civil resistance movement Israel has ever seen. Click here to sign our new petition, showing Israelis that we stand with them.
The shift in the mainstream Israeli public opinion around support for army refusal as a civil resistance act is a massive opportunity for the anti-occupation movement. This shift indicates a breakdown in the Israeli mainstream’s conviction of the morality of the government’s military.
Right now, RSN is working in collaboration with Israeli anti-occupation activists on the ground in order to seize this opportunity and grow the movement. Help us show the resistance movement they have global support by signing our petition.
In solidarity,
Shimri Zameret,
Chairman of the board
Refuser Solidarity Network