After serving a jail sentence I finally received an exemption

Hello everyone,

My name is Oren. Last time I wrote to you was right after I was released from a jail sentence of 14 days for refusing to do my reserve service in the Israeli army. In Israel, in addition to serving two or three years in regular service, you are also obligated to continue to serve as reserve duty for 15-20 years. As someone who is wholeheartedly and completely against serving any time as a soldier of the occupation, I’m happy to let you know that I have now received an exemption from military reserve duty. 

Oren Feld

Not many people around the world know this, but there are many Israelis who oppose the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and who are trying to receive an exemption from military service so they would not participate in these war crimes. Because it is so hard to receive an exemption based on conscientious objection and there is a risk of incarceration, many resort to indirect ways of receiving an exemption on psychological or physical grounds. 

Help us support youth refusers

My journey was a bit different. I was asked to report to reserve duty and I refused. I was sentenced to a military trial in which I received a jail sentence of 14 days. Before entering prison, I wrote a strong, critical, political letter to the army. It stated the reasons why I am not willing to serve an occupying army and why I am not willing to support the militarization of Israeli society, after which I served the sentence I was given. A couple of weeks ago, I finally received my exemption from reserve duty. I am glad I stood my ground and received my exemption from service solely by stating my objection to the occupation. 

This is a very important accomplishment. Like some of my refuser friends, who you heard about in previous updates, I did not try to present other personal reasons that might make it a problem for me to serve. It shows that we have the option to stand up and speak our truth. If many more will join us in doing so we will be able to understand the true extent of the resistance to the Israeli occupation. The real number of Israeli citizens who are not willing to be a part of an occupying force but are not able to publicly state that fact because they are reluctant to serve jail time or suffer dire social sanctions. If we can make that happen, then the Israeli army will not be able to conceal citizens' objections to its detrimental policies. Help us in supporting youth refusers, to make sure this happens. 

Help us support youth refusers

In solidarity,

Oren

Tomorrow I will be going to prison

Hi,

My name is Yoav. I’m 19 years old from Israel. Tomorrow, I will refuse conscription to the Israeli military and will most likely be sentenced to military prison. 

Write Yoav a support letter

I grew up with the belief that no person should cause harm to any other human being. I truly feel that all people should help those who are in need, those who are less fortunate, and those who are being wronged by others. 

In Israel, the occupation and oppression of the entire Palestinian people is a part of day to day life. The Israeli military and Israeli governmental policy continue to cause great suffering and wrongdoings to Palestinians. I am not willing to accept this reality or contribute to it. Refusing to enlist is one of the most important ways of supporting, even a little bit, the Palestinian struggle. 

Write Yoav a support letter

Last December, on the day of my conscription, I arrived at the enlistment center and refused. I was arrested for a day until the army released me and gave me a date to have my case reviewed by the army’s conscientious committee (which is the military body that is in charge of recognizing conscientious objectors). 

The conscientious committee exempted me from carrying a weapon and the army expected me to enlist. However, my issue is not with shooting in a range or firing practice. With or without a weapon, the Israeli army is still an organization whose essence is war and I do not want to take part in it. So I refused again and was jailed for 8 days. 

Write Yoav a support letter

This Tuesday I will refuse a third time and will probably receive another prison sentence. Everywhere in the world there are injustices that need to change. In Israel, my place of birth, the suffering of Palestinians is a blatant injustice that needs to be fixed. This is why I will continue to refuse.  

In solidarity,

Yoav 

Israel puts youth in prison isolation for resisting war!

Hello everyone,

My name is Yasmin Eran Vardi, and I am the new coordinator for Mesarvot Network. I’m 21 years old from Jerusalem and a long time activist against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. I refused the military draft myself, risked imprisonment, and received an exemption from military service in 2019 after a long journey claiming my case in front of the army’s “conscientious” committee, which sometimes recognizes some conscientious objectors.

Yasmin Eran Vardi, Coordinator for Mesarvot

Over the years, as an activist I participated in Mesarvot’s youth group, which is a part of Mesarvot activity to support young conscientious objectors. I also accompanied Palestinian farmers and shepherds in order to provide support against attacks by Israeli settlers, with a group called Ta’ayush. Today, I focus my activism on documenting violations of human rights by the Israeli army in the Palestinian Territories. 

I want to share with you that we were recently invited to testify by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) regarding the situation of conscientious objection in Israel. We explained to the UNHRC that what sustains the occupation of the Palestinian Territories is the increasing militarism in Israeli society, reinforced by the media, but mostly by the educational system which makes sure to put pressure on teenagers to enlist to military service. 

The Israeli army and state policy work in violation of international law in many ways. We need to make sure the information from our fieldwork supporting refusers spreads across the globe. We ask for your help to do this. By donating only $10 a month, you will be a driving force in our ability to share this information with the world. 

According to UN resolutions, the committees exempting refusers and conscientious objectors should be non-political civil committees that base their decisions on the personal testimony of the objector. This is definitely not the case in Israel. The committee is an army body composed of soldiers and only one civilian. It does not accept the objector’s self testimony, requests witnesses, and inspects the refuser’s social media. Moreover, it does not accept objection based on political circumstances such as objection to serve the occupation. 

Not only that, refusers like us stand for recurring trials for our objection to service and are sentenced to multiple incarcerations. Those who refuse to wear army uniforms during their prison stay are punished a second time, for not identifying with the army’s values, and are sent to prison isolation. We are teenagers! It is not right to send 18 year olds to prison isolation for not wanting to practice violence and for resisting war! 

This is but a partial list of the everyday violations committed by the Israeli army and we hope the UNHRC will take this information and raise much needed questions towards representatives of the state of Israel. 

We need to increase our voice in the international arena in order to have more international bodies push Israel to form human policies that recognize basic human rights. We ask for your support and contribution in helping us sustain our work by contributing $10 a month. By doing so you will help us sustain our core activities such as supporting refusers and making sure the information from our field work will be delivered to citizens worldwide and in Israel, and to international and national bodies such as the UN and Israeli authorities. 

We hope that over time by exposing this information in and outside Israel we will start seeing a much needed change in Israeli policy.  

In solidarity,

Yasmin

After 88 days in jail I’m finally free!

Dear friends,

I’m happy to share with you the knowledge that after serving 88 days in military jail for refusing to enlist in the Israeli military I finally received my exemption! This has been a long journey that started years before I was supposed to enlist. Since I was a young girl I knew I would not take part in the injustice of the Israeli occupation ofthe Palestinian territories. This was evident in my life during high school where I stood my ground in arguments with my peers, in my active participation in Mesarvot’s youth group and in refusing to participate in workshops and training which Israeli youth must take in preparation for army life.

Congratulate Shahar on receiving an exemption!

Going in and out of jail in the last few months has definitely been hard,  but there was no way I was going to change my mind, no matter how long my prison sentence. Before going to jail I heard from older refusers how lonely it was in prison and how disconnected you feel from the outside world - which turned out to be very true - but what was really amazing is how supported I felt because of you! All of your letters and kind words changed my world every time I was released home for a few days because it showed me that there are many people around the world who care for this place and who want to help us end the occupation. It showed that my act of refusing is meaningful in shedding light on the oppression of Palestinians and that it travels across the world. It shows that if enough Israelis do the same we could stop this appartheid system.  

Congratulate Shahar on receiving an exemption!

Although I am out of prison, our struggle is far from over. Just a few weeks ago the Sallehiya family lost its home in Sheikh Jarrah when it was demolished by Israeli authorities. They were tossed into the street in the middle of the night in winter. Many more Palestinian families are at risk of losing their homes, and one of them is the Salem family. As part of the weekly demonstrations against these heinous acts towards the residents of Sheikh Jarrah, I went together with many other activists to the Salem family residence, where settlers had put up fences around the house and the police put up roadblocks over the settler’s fences. We smashed the fences and roadblocks and continued our protest around the neighborhood. We will continue to do everything within our power to make sure these families will keep their homes, and to make sure all discriminatory acts against Palestinians stop. For that to happen we need more Israelis with us. 

That is why now that I’m out of prison my plan is to continue my peace activism and make sure more youth learn about the consequences of taking part in the military system. Everyone deserves to be free like me. 

In solidarity,

Shahar

After spending 114 days in military jail Eran is a free man!

Hi, it's Eran and I’m happy to be writing to you as a free man. After spending 114 days in military jail for refusing to enlist to the Israeli military and not be complicit in the occupation of the Palestinian territories, I finally received an exemption from military service.

This year our community of refusers has grown and many youth who are fighting for Palestinian liberation have joined our community. Just a few months back we facilitated the Shministim letter (Shministim meaning high school seniors in Hebrew) that was signed by 120 high school students declaring their intention to refuse to enlist and become soldiers of the occupation. We are the future of Israel and it is important to continue our work and provide a space for youth that is not complicit in upholding the unjust policies of the occupation. And we need your help to do that.

It is our responsibility to make sure that the voices of refusers, like myself, are heard. Supporters like you, the international community, can make this a reality. As the year comes to a close, we need your help to continue to fuel the critical work of Mesarvot and RSN. All contributions are essential to ensure that we can continue to give youth who object to war crimes a political home and advocate for their rights to express their political opinions. Join our growing community by donating today to help support our objection to the occupation. 

In solidarity,

Eran

Donate to support the refusers

🚨 ACT NOW: Isreali refusers need your support

Hi, 

It’s me, Shahar. For those of you not familiar with my story, I'm 19 years old from Kfar Yona, Israel. Earlier this year I declared my refusal to serve in the Israeli army because I am not willing to take part in Israel’s policies of occupation and apartheid in the Palestinian Territories. In response to my refusal, I was sent to military prison where I’ve served three prison sentences totaling 58 days. Last Sunday I was sentenced to another 30 days in prison.

The army will continue to sentence me to prison for refusing to enlist, but nothing can break my spirit or change my mind. I decided at a very early age that I will not become a soldier of the occupation and will not hurt my Palestinian friends. Today, I’m writing this message because I need your help and solidarity. 

Donate to support the refusers

In the past year we’ve seen a rise in the number of refusers. I am not alone. Eran Aviv, a fellow refuser, has served his sixth jail sentence totaling 114 days, and Oren Feld, who also refused reserve duty, was jailed for 14 days. With this rise, we, the refusers, are suffering from worsening conditions in military prisons. As I wrote in my previous message, I was not allowed to bring writing utensils to jail or write anything without the prison authorities monitoring what I’m writing. 

Not only that, I asked to see a doctor because I need physiotherapy but my request was not answered and to date I still don’t have a doctor’s appointment. Because I’m considered a part of the military system I cannot go and see a doctor in my time at home either. 

I’m fortunate to have Mesarvot and the Refuser Solidarity Network by my side. They make sure my rights in prison are not violated. I have legal representation that is already in touch with the prison authorities to make sure I receive my full rights. This is incredible help for me during my prison sentence that is only growing longer with each sentence renewal. Knowing that there is a community of refusers that supports me, and my fellow refusers, allows me to continue my struggle against the occupation. 

Donate to support the refusers

Now, more than ever, we need your help to support our movement. We need $25,000 to sustain our work through next year - will you donate today? We are counting on you to continue our critical work. With your generosity, our community of refusers can grow and we can continue to protect youth that refuse to be complicit and stand on the right side of justice.

In solidarity,

Shahar

Donate to support the refusers

Sentenced to 14 days in prison for refusing to serve the occupation

Hello, my name is Oren, I’m 29 years old. I live in Jerusalem and I am an MA student. I run a social worker NGO and work in the Jerusalem branch of the Hadash party (The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality). I was just released after 14 days in military jail for refusing to do my reserve duty in the Israeli military. 

When I was first drafted to the Israeli military as an 18 year old, I did not have the strength to resist it. Now I do. I spent 3 years of my life in a military service I did not believe in and over the years I have witnessed numerous injustices and wrongdoings performed by the army.

Oren Feld. Photo credit: Ore Cherbelis Hod

That is why now, at the age of 29 years, I said ENOUGH when I was called to do reserve duty. I will no longer be a part of an institution that oppresses, kills, and exploits innocent people. It is time to speak the truth about the history of our land, - starting with past  expulsions of Palestinians and continuing with the multiple present day measures aimed at the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, that are part of everyday life. Only truth will stop the occupation. 

The occupation manifests itself in many forms. It has controls over the Palestinian leadership; It controls transportation routes through the use of lockdowns and blockades; It performs mass arrests; It has the power to prohibit gatherings and demonstrations. The occupation is undeniable, and it is a political choice: there is no justification for an endless, limitless foreign rule over millions of innocent people. 

I choose peace. That is why when I received the order to report for reserve duty, I told my army commander that I will not comply. He sentenced me to 14 days in jail for my refusal. I sent a request to the conscientious committee asking them to release me from reserve duty, but they denied my request and I went to military jail. Serving time was a harsh and humiliating experience but I will continue to stand firm in the face of oppression!

I will not serve in an army that uses its resources to control the Palestinian civic population, which has virtually no basic human rights. I will not take part in the military rule in the west bank or in the naval and air blockade of Gaza. Nor will I take part in the monitoring of goods entering the Palestinian territories, which has given rise to a life without any basic means for millions of human beings, who have restricted access to food, to drinkable water, to housing and to electricity. 

This military control over another nation also corrupts the Israeli society from within. If we want to have a healthy, egalitarian society it needs to be based on solidarity, not on force and superiority of some over others. I care for this place and the people who live in this land! Anyone who feels the same should take a stand against the occupation and the oppression that have now been going on for over a half a century. This is why I chose to refuse now and why I will continue to refuse in the future. 

In solidarity,

Oren

You can show solidarity with refusers by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Another 30 days in prison

I just spent my 19th birthday behind bars and I’ve already served two prison sentences and spent 28 days in jail. Last Thursday I was tried again and sentenced to another 30 days in prison. I will continue facing recurring incarcerations for my refusal to cooperate with the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories.

I am writing today from home because in the military prison we are not allowed to write. I am a person who writes down her thoughts and I scribble drawings when I try to focus. I write down tasks and ideas and I use empty pages to crystalize my thought process. When I arrived at the military prison for the first time I brought with me a pencil case, but it was taken away from me and I was informed by the prison guards who searched my belongings that I cannot keep any writing tools and can only write at specific times a day with pens provided by the prison authorities. 

Over time I realized that the specific hours considered proper for writing are very much dependent on the guards’ whims. Some days I could only get a pen for 10 minutes; on Saturdays or holidays you don’t get a pen at all. Privacy is a luxury I don’t get to have as a prisoner and I was not allowed to write anything without the rest of the inmates, guards and commanders getting to see what I’m writing. By the end of my prison sentence I returned home with all my notebooks completely empty.

In prison, writing is in itself a form of activism. We can use it to share our message about our choice to refuse as a form of resistance to the occupation. By depriving me of the option to write in prison, the prison authorities  hindered my ability to document what goes on behind bars, write articles and develop ideas and plan on how to share my experiences once I am released for a few days. The military does not want me to write, speak or share my thoughts. They are trying to silence me. 

The silencing of political refusers is a small part of a more violent pattern of behavior - The silencing of the Palestinian struggle for human rights in the West Bank and Gaza. The arrests of Palestinians that speak and act against the Israeli violent military actions and the violent oppressions by the military of Palestinian peaceful protests are just two emblematic examples of a broad policy aimed at suppressing any speaking, acting, criticizing or objecting on the part of Palestinians.

And so,  it is not surprising that after striving daily to hide the truth about the occupation and to silence those who are hurt by it, the next step is to silence those of us who  oppose it. But it is this silencing, this attempt to erase, hide and deny what is really happening, that makes me stand proud and declare my refusal publicly. Despite not being able to write about any of this from prison I’m happy to be able to share my message now, even if it is  from home. 

In solidarity,

Shahar

Write Shahar a support letter

Support Shahar and Eran

Shahar Perets (19) and Eran Aviv (19) once again arrived at the Israeli military enlistment center to declare their refusal to serve as soldiers and take part in the oppression of the Palestinian people. Each of them was tried and sentenced to 30 days in military jail. This is Eran's sixth prison sentence totaling 114 days. Shahar has already served 28 days in jail and this is her third jail sentence.

Write Eran a support letter: https://forms.gle/3jtzoWqujPzN4phr6

Write Shahar a support letter: https://forms.gle/ZQ3UpgoESCiHFo1P7

My thoughts after 64 days in Israeli military jail

Hello, my name is Eran. I’m 19 y/o and I am from Tel Aviv. Maybe you remember me from the previous update I wrote in July. Back then I had already served one prison sentence and was sentenced to another. Now I have finished my fourth sentence and have spent a total of 64 days in jail. I wanted to share with you my thoughts and experiences from military jail.

Donate to help us make sure Eran has support during his time in jail

On my first imprisonment I was assigned guard duty of a cell block with two other prisoners in it. One of them had been imprisoned for a while and the other was new to jail. The veteran prisoner said to the new one: "Hey, you know who this guy is? This guy likes Arabs!" The new guy asked if I really liked Arabs. I told him I have a left-wing political perspective and that I want Jews and Palestinians to have equal rights. I also told him that I refused to enlist in the Israeli military because I refuse to cooperate with the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The veteran prisoner got mad and called me names. He threatened to harm me physically, explicitly mindful of the fact that this would increase his own jail time.

When I arrived at the jail for my third sentence the veteran prisoners already recognized me. They knew me as the 'left-wing guy', the 'Arab lover'; the weird guy that they can't exactly figure out. Every time a new prisoner came in they rushed to introduce me to him, to see how he would react to me. Ever since I got to prison the prisoners challenged my political position and made statements such as: "If the Arabs will stop using weapons there will be peace but if we hold down our weapons they will kill us"; "If we will give them an inch they will take a mile"; "If they kill your mother will you still support them?"

Donate to help us organize educational activities

After 54 years of illegal occupation, Israel imposes a harsh reality on both Palestinians and Israelis. In the military service Israeli soldiers learn that the strong survive and that there is no way to protect Jewish people except through force. This has a harsh effect on the soldiers themselves as they have no choice but to practice violence in the OPT and also experience violence by Palestinians who object to the military rule over them. This reality, in which youth are conscripted to become part of a violent system, is taking its toll on the soldiers and on the Israeli society as a whole. 

The educational system, the media, and mostly the government tell you that you have no choice but to act violently and endure violence, or you will be betraying your country and your loved ones will be hurt. This message puts young soldiers in an impossible position. In order to cope with this dissonance, soldiers adopt the narrative that there will never be peace and that all this violence is justified to protect the Israeli citizens. 

Donate to help us make sure Israeli youth will hear the truth

This is one of the ways in which we see the violent cycle of the occupation in work. We need to make sure that every Israeli recognizes the reality of what it is to live as a Palestinian in the West Bank under military occupation. We need to make sure that Israel finally puts a stop to the occupation of the Palestinians’ lands and the violation of their basic human rights. I will continue to share my story and my political reflections with as many young Israelis as possible to make sure they know they have a choice.  

In solidarity,

Eran

Support the refusers Eran and Shahar

Yesterday, Shahar Perets and Eran Aviv arrived at the Israeli military enlistment center and declared their refusal to join the army and take part in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Each received a sentence of 10 days in military prison. This is Shahar's first imprisonment and Eran's fourth time in jail.

Write Eran a support letter

Write Shahar a support letter

Read the full interview with Shahar at +972 Magazine

Eran Aviv (left) and Shahar Perets seen outside the military induction center, Tel Hashomer, central Israel, August 31, 2021. (Oren Ziv)

In two days I will declare my refusal to be conscripted

Hi, my name is Shahar. I’m 18 years old and I live in Kfar Yona, Israel. In two days, I'm going to arrive at the Israeli military enlistment center where I will declare my refusal to be conscripted. I will probably be sent to jail shortly after that.

Exactly 6 years ago, in the summer between my 8th and 9th grade, I attended a summer camp for Israeli and Palestinian youth. There I met Palestinian boys and girls, kids like me, for the first time. They became my friends. I have attended that summer camp every year since. Today, 6 years later, I refuse to hurt the people I met that summer and every summer since. I refuse to hurt their families, or the millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.

Donate to help us organize a support demonstration for Shahar

During the last 6 years, I could choose everyday what I want to do and how I want to live. I could go to school and attend my youth group safely and I slept well at night. I could move freely and I had a shelter during the war bombings. I could speak out my mind, attend demonstrations without being arrested, initiate activism groups and pass easily through checkpoints in the West Bank. I could vote in the elections. I could live my life with full human rights and civil rights. 

But my friends from that summer 6 years ago share neither my life experiences nor my advantages. They cannot travel freely. They spend the day worrying that at night an armed soldier would be standing over their bed. They have neither physical nor emotional security, they lack political freedoms and cannot vote to choose the government that controls their lives, and they are denied the most basic rights that we take for granted, including even the right to object to the injustices perpetrated on them by the Israeli occupation.

Donate to help us make sure Shahar has legal support

I refuse to take part in a racist violent system that inflicts pain on Palestinians every day of their lives. Every day Israeli soldiers break into Palestinian homes. Every day the Israeli army arrests Palestinian children and denies Palestinian farmers access to their land. The military system that has been serving the occupation for years is now shutting down any possibility for Palestinians to move freely while at the same time restricting access to clean water or to proper health care. 

I hope my refusal to serve in the Israeli army will make a difference, even if it is a slight one. I hope it will raise awareness and lead other Israelis to think in a critical way about things many have been regarding as ‘natural’. I believe we should all take responsibility not just for ourselves, but for everyone living between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea. I hope that refusing to take part in an oppressive system will show Israelis that we can choose to act differently and stop the violence, and that with this realization there will be hope.

Donate to help us organize a media campaign for Shahar’s release

You too, can help to make things right. You can share information with people you know about the ongoing human rights violations of millions of Palestinian civilians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza and help others see the truth. If we put our efforts together and object to the apartheid, oppression and violence in a nonviolent way, both within Israel and outside of it, maybe we can fix this historic injustice and start building a better life, a safe life, a just life for both the Jewish and Palestinian people. 

In solidarity

Shahar

Shlomo was finally recognized as a conscientious objector!

We are happy to share with you that after 4 prison sentences and 49 days in jail, Shlomo was finally recognized as a conscientious objector and was released from Israeli military service! Here are his words:

Thank you all for your support as I was conscientiously objecting. I’m overjoyed that the conscientious committee ruled in my favor, and I have since been discharged from the Israeli military. The process of getting to that committee was long and hard, and only complicated by my commanding officers. They would not contact the relevant departments to schedule my conscientious objection hearing. They wouldn’t help while I was imprisoned nor would they help after I finished my prison sentence and was back home. They dismissed my request completely claiming it was impossible and said if I wanted to get to the committee I’d need to come back and work for the Israeli military. I was unable to explain the absurdity to them that they were only letting me go to the conscientious objector committee hearing if I stopped conscientiously objecting.  

I feel incredibly fortunate to have The Mesarvot Network advocating for me. With their help, I was able to get to a committee hearing in July in spite of my commanders’ ridiculous conditions for their assistance. I told the committee about my personal history and my pacifism. They asked me why I drafted in the first place. I drafted because I was raised to believe that the Israeli military was the most moral military and it was the exception to my pacifism. But this was not the just thing to do; human life is more important than any ideology. The committee also asked me why I wouldn’t stay in the army in a non-combat role. I answered that I don’t want to be associated with any military, as my values and military values are so radically different. Also because I don’t want to be contributing to the overall power of a military, even in a non-combat role. If I did I would still be supporting and lending my strength to a system that I believe is acting immorally. 

Some days later, I officially received my discharge from the Israeli military. I am happy that the military came to the just and right decision, and feel an overwhelming gratitude to the Mesarvot Network for helping me throughout this process. I still want to act on my principles that led me to conscientiously object: to help people and protect life. Now that I am released from the military, I intend on doing national service or volunteer work in either Firefighting or EMT work. I will continue to support, participate, and hope for the success of movements that encourage and advocate for nonviolent communication and conflict resolution, like Mesarvot. The problems we face are massive and expansive, but that means that every small step in the right direction leads to incredible improvement for those most oppressed by the violent nature of military force and in need of peace.

In solidarity

Shlomo

Like and follow us on Facebook for more refuser updates

I was arrested for 49 days for being a conscientious objector

Today, finally, I will have my case reviewed by the Committee for Granting Exemptions for Reasons of Conscience in the Israeli army. It has been a long and hard journey that started soon after I began my military service. I never wanted to contribute to war, violence, or any kind of oppression. I was drafted to be in a combat support position and not long after I realized that this kind of work is against my conscience and my morals. I am and will always be a pacifist and will never take part in the oppression of any people. 

Growing up in a Jewish settlement in the west bank, my community taught me that the Israeli army is the most moral army in the world and that it is different from any other army that practices war. I enlisted in the military thinking that there was a way that I wouldn't take part in the oppression and violence toward Palestinians. I thought my pacifist viewpoint wouldn't stand in contradiction with the army's actions. I was wrong. That's when my journey to being recognized as a conscientious objector started. 

Not many people and soldiers are aware of the existence of a conscientious committee in the Israeli army, which is supposed to recognize and release people in cases where the army's actions contradict their moral point of view, such as pacifists. It is important to say that the army does not welcome requests to be recognized as a conscientious objector and it was really hard for me to even get to be able to submit a request to meet the committee and claim my case. 

I have been arrested in my base time after time, after stating my refusal to continue serving orders. The officers in charge of me stalled my eventual meeting with the committee and wouldn't give me information as to when or if I would be able to meet the committee. I've spoken to so many people from different bodies and areas in the army that didn't even understand what I was requesting, or what the conscientious committee even was. The process I had to go through was mediated by a frustratingly difficult bureaucracy, all while being arrested, away from friends and family, and detained in jail. It seemed to me like the army was trying to break me into giving up on the process, or perhaps even testing me to see how strong my moral stand is.

After being arrested for a while, I was released home for a few days. Before my next arrest, I decided not to go back until they provided a date for my meeting with the conscientious committee. While I was at home they started to threaten me with a harsher sentence and said that if I don't come back they wouldn't help me meet the committee. I didn't cave in to their threats and not long after, I finally received a date for speaking with the committee. 

Today, I am finally meeting with the committee who will decide whether they recognize me as a conscientious objector or if they will send me back to jail. I am standing strong with my moral and pacifist views and am not afraid to face the committee. Even if the committee will not grant me an exemption from military service I will continue to sit in prison and refuse.    

I want to thank everyone who supported me and wrote me a support letter. Military jail certainly isn't a fun place to be, but your support letters really helped me during these harsh times and frequently even put a smile on my face. As Nietzsche famously said, "He who has a why can bear almost any how." This conflict won't be solved through war and death; we will only have peace through understanding and empathy. I hope we can reach that peace as soon as possible. 

In solidarity,

Shlomo

Donate to support Shlomo

I was sentenced to 20 days in the Israeli military jail

My name is Eran, I’m 19 years old and I live in Tel Aviv. I refuse to be conscripted to the Israeli military because I am not willing to take part in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. I already served 14 days in military jail and last Sunday I was sentenced to another 20 days in jail.

From a very early age, I strove to understand the political situation in Israel and the power relations between Israelis and Palestinians. After researching the topic I came to understand the daily reality of Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation. The more I learned about the blockade of Gaza and the lack of basic human rights for Palestinians in the West Bank the more clear it was to me that I cannot agree to become a soldier and take part in the oppression of the Palestinian people. 

In my statement to the army’s Committee for Granting Exemptions for Reasons of Conscience, I declared my reasons for my refusal of military service:

I refuse because I believe it is immoral and unreasonable to hold the Palestinian people under military control and blockade without granting them civil and political rights, and while violating their human rights on an ongoing basis.

I refuse because I believe that all human beings should be governed by institutions that represent them. 

I refuse because I believe that enlisting in the army legitimizes the occupation and serves it.

I refuse because I believe that Israel could and should end the occupation immediately whether by agreement, withdrawal, or by granting citizenship to the Palestinian people and the establishment of a bi-national state for both Palestinians and Israelis.

I refuse because I respect the rules and norms of international law and the international community, which reject the Israeli occupation.

On the day of my conscription I refused to be drafted and was sent to be tried in a military court. One of the officers there told me he wanted to stop me from going to jail and that he had a solution that would allow me to serve by joining the Israeli police force, for my service. I agreed, believing that in that way I could serve the country without taking a part in the occupation. 

I was invited to an interview for the police forces in the national headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, in Occupied East Jerusalem. I refused because I am not willing to invade Palestinian territories. As a result, I was rejected by the police for being a conscientious objector and was sent back to the military court. The officer who suggested I join the police was angered by my “stubbornness” but  said he would try to change the police decision. I was called to another interview in West Jerusalem. There, I was rejected for stating that I would not report or use information regarding the Occupied Territories that I would receive during my police service. I was tried once again in military court, and was sentenced to jail for 14 days. 

After the military’s failed attempts to find a service position for me that would not be against my conscience, my conclusion is that it is not possible to serve in the military or the police without taking part in the occupation. After 54 years the occupation has seeped into all security positions in Israel. It is unavoidable and will only stop once the occupation itself comes to an end.

In solidarity,

Eran

New Profile

We bring you a special message from Or Ben David, the coordinator of New Profile’s counselling network. 

New Profile is an anti-militarist, feminist organization that believes that the militarism embedded in all aspects of Israeli society weakens civilian and democratic values.  One of the ways New Profile works towards the demilitarization of Israeli society is through supporting youth who independently choose not to serve in the Israeli army by supporting them in obtaining an exemption. 

My name is Or Ben David. I am a queer, vegan, human rights activist and Mizrahi Jew. I started working at New Profile two years ago, but my relationship with the organisation began in 2006, at the age of sixteen, when I joined the New Profile youth group. 

As a radical youngster, New Profile’s youth group allowed me to ask tough questions, practice nonviolent communication, speak openly about social taboos, and learn more about the person I wanted to become. 

In 2009, New Profile provided me crucial support when I refused to join the Israeli army. I was unwilling to be a part of upholding the occupation by serving in a patriarchal and violent army, and was thus sentenced to Military Prison and sat there for a total of 4.5 months. With little support from my family and friends, New Profile supported me with ongoing aid, letters of solidarity from around the world, and vegan food. New Profile even organised support demonstrations for myself and my other jailed peers.

Today, my position in New Profile involves overseeing the day-to-day of the Counseling Network--speaking with counselees, collecting information regarding the ever changing exemption processes, and supporting and training our volunteers.

New Profile's Counseling Network supports youth who independently decide not to enlist in the Israeli military regardless of their background, socio-economic status, or political orientation. We support them throughout the entire exemption process, from their initial contact with us until they receive exemption, via free and ongoing support, legal aid, and additional resources and information. 

The network is crucial to thousands of young Israelis during a critical point in their lives: for those who understand that they neither want to kill or be killed, for those who must not join the army out of fear of self-harm, for those whose socio-economic restraints at home mean they must stay at home to provide for their family, and for those who do not want to join a belligerent, violent, and patriarchal body.

Supporting New Profile supports the fight for demilitarization and against occupation. 

Supporting New Profile supports the right for women to feel safe--whether they are Jewish or Palestinian. 

Supporting New Profile is to oppose the ongoing oppression and ‘othering’ in our society. 

New Profile is my political home, and I am grateful to be a part of it.

In solidarity,

Or

HELP: I was Arrested in Jerusalem for Organizing an Anti-War Demo | Refuser Solidarity Network

Hello, my name is Tair Kaminer. In 2016 I refused to join the Israeli Military and was subsequently imprisoned in Military Jail for over 150 days. Last Saturday I was unlawfully detained in Jerusalem with my friend Atalya Ben-Abba, also a refuser from 2017 who was jailed for 110 days, after police illegally disbanded the Anti-War demonstration we held in Jerusalem’s main square.

Just a couple of minutes after we gathered a police officer approached us and claimed he had “secret intelligence info” that our demonstration will be targeted or attacked by Jewish Nationalists. Even if this info was correct, the police’s role is to protect our Freedom of Speech and make sure the demonstration goes unharmed. Instead, they forced us to disband in seconds and arrested Atalya and I for allegedly not complying. We had to spend the entire night arrested in police custody. We were released around 7 am and had to sign a bail bond preventing us from gathering in Jerusalem’s square for 30 days.

The sole purpose of the restrictions that were put on us is to silence our voice and we refuse to be silenced. We will appeal the bail bond in courts in the following days. As military refusers, we have already been detained by Israel for fighting for peace, but in many ways, we are not the main victims of this incident. The main victims are the millions of Palestinians who suffer through this war, bombardements, siege, and occupation.

We gathered on Saturday on the streets of Jerusalem to show our opposition to the war and hostilities conducted by Israel, to call for an end of the siege on Gaza and Occupation of Palestine, and to show our solidarity with Palestinians who are being targeted and attacked by groups of right wing extremists all over the country. In the past week, organized groups of settlers and right wing extremists gathered in different Arab neighborhoods in cities in Israel, attacking the locals and trying to incite a “racial civil war”. In Sheikh Jarrah and East Jerusalem, settlers with guns patrol the blocks, and in Bat-Yam, miles away from Tel Aviv, an Arab passerby was lynched and beaten to near death by a Jewish mob, Live on National TV. The Israeli authorities are unable, or unwilling, to put a clear stop to these attacks and the government is trying to silence other nations and international organizations from commenting on them.

The surge of racist attacks amid the ongoing war in Gaza frightens us. While we were arrested for trying to express our desire for peace, those who seek to violently incite war still roam the streets freely. Almost no criminal charges were submitted against Jewish nationalists, and many, both Jews and Arabs, fear becoming the next targets of their attacks. 

Sincerely yours,

Tair and Atalya

I will not be part of the oppression of Palestinians

While violence in Gaza and Israeli cities -- cynically triggered and fueled by Netanyahu's government -- is intensifying, we send you today a message from a Israeli soldier who choose to resist the war and is being held under arrest in his military base:

Hello, My name is Shlomo (pseudonym). I come from a religious family that lives in a settlement in the west bank. I’m 20 years old and I have been drafted to the Israeli military for a combat support position almost a year ago. I’m a pacifist and I reject the common justifications for war and violence. However, given my upbringing in a settler community, I had somehow convinced myself that the Israeli army was different, that every time it used violence, it had to be morally justified.  However, after I was drafted I realized that wars in Israel were just like wars waged by the rest of the world. That "kill or be killed" is a false dichotomy, even for us. Conflict is not solved through war, through might, but instead through understanding and empathy. I think Israel needs a military, but we also need to think about that military in a radically different way. What we are dealing with, the causing of bodily harm and death, is not something we can afford to make mistakes with. It doesn’t matter who's right and who's wrong. It doesn’t matter who's strong and who's weak. What matters is human life, and the fact that people are suffering and dying. 

Before I enlisted,  I thought I could serve in the army in a non-combat position, and not be part of the violence. I understand now that even in a non-combat support position, I still support the system that is committing these actions of violence, and that I contribute indirectly to war and to the continuation of violent acts. 

I already refused to continue to serve three times and have been held under arrest in my military base. I have petitioned the Committee for Granting Exemptions for Reasons of Conscience, to grant me an exemption from military service and I will continue to refuse orders until I am exempted from military service. Violence is not a single act, it's a cycle. And it is one I cannot participate in.

In solidarity,

Shlomo

Write Shlomo a letter of support https://forms.gle/f58zcZfTZB296kj38

How you can take action in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza

As I write this, 119 Palestinian died in Gaza in the Israeli bombings, among them 19 women and 31 kids. We want to call you - who stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and with Israeli war resisters - to take solidarity actions, record them on camera, and upload them to our facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/refusersn 

You can post pictures of yourself holding a sign demanding international intervention to stop this war, you can share with us a facebook post calling Israelis to refuse to take part in the war, or share photos and videos from direct actions like blocking the street in front of Israeli embassies and consulates. Many actions are already being organized in solidarity with Palestinians, for example by IF NOT NOW, and you can join them and upload pictures from the action to our facebook page. Even simple actions uploaded to our page will get shared by us -- so please do take a few minutes and take action!

Mesarvot, the Israeli network that supports war resisters just released the following statement:

What started a month ago with the ban on sitting at Damsacus gate during Ramadan, continued with brawling in Jaffa, settlers rampaging in south Hebron mountain, the court decision to evict dozens of Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah (backed by a racist law that perpetuates the Israeli occupation), and the Israeli police’s extreme acts of violence have now deteriorated to an exchange of fire. It has brought the death of dozens of people between the river and the sea – most of which are in Gaza, some of which are children. 

Our heart aches. This war could have been avoided. It could’ve ended before it had begun if only the Israeli government and military would have let the Palestinian people be. This is not only about the past month. If the heads of the state and army cared about the people or, dare we imagine, about basic human rights – they would understand that there is no way to live with 4 hours of electricity a day and without clean drinking water. The people in Gaza are in survival mode - a way of living none of us can imagine. We are dealing with decision makers that are not interested in peace, justice, or in stopping the cycle of death. They are interested in political and economic power and this reality serves their interests. 

Inside Israel there are riots and attacks on businesses, homes, and people. Some local businesses in mixed cities have had no choice but to close down in fear of riots destroying their property; we are on the brink of a civil war. The Israeli media serves hatred and does nothing to report solidarity protests organized by Palestinians and Jewish people together. The police violently arrest Palestinians, including minors, while doing almost nothing to stop attacks by extreme right wingers. 

We will not go on operations and wars that give us nothing but death in the name of an archaic nationalistic agenda. We will not hold a weapon, press a button, or wear a uniform that brings death and breaks a family apart. Not when we were eighteen, not ever. This land is drowning in blood. 

We stand in solidarity with the citizens of southern Israel and with Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah. We oppose this pre-orchestrated war and call for the immediate end of the Israeli occupation and demand recognition of the Palestinian pain. Only then will we start to see anything different from this grim reality.

In solidarity and with the hope for better days,

Yuval

Solidarity with Eran Aviv

This Monday, Eran Aviv (19 years old from Tel-Aviv) will declare his refusal to join the Israeli army and will probably be sent to jail. He has decided a long time ago he is not willing to take part in the Israeli occupation and serve the atrocities in the West-Bank and Gaza and he is willing to pay the price.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates about Eran.