Reuben
24th June 2003, 21:41
via Sveva Haertter, European Jews for Just Peace)
Sunday, June 22, 2003
“HELL NO! THEY WON’T GO�
FIVE YOUNG MEN WHO OPPOSE THE OCCUPATION REFUSE TO
ENLIST IN THE IDF AND REQUEST TO DO CIVILIAN COMMUNITY
SERVICE
“We wish to obey our conscience, in place of the army.
So we ask to do service that will benefit the goals of
a civilian society, and not those of the IDF’�, they
declare.�
On Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at 9AM at the military
court in Jaffa, will take place the court-martial of
the five draft resisters (amongst the initiators and
signatories of the “High School Seniors’ Letter):
Haggai Matar; Matan Kaminer; Shimri Zameret; Adam Maor
and Noam Bahat. The five refuse to enlist because of
their conscientious objection to the occupation, and
to the actions by which the army enforces it.
Therefore, they are asking that they be exempted from
military service, and pledge to do a three-year
civilian community service in its place. Adv. Dov
Chenin is representing the five from the Amnon
Zichroni and Associates legal firm.
After more than eight months of recurring trials and
imprisonment, and in reaction to the growing number of
draftees who refused to be inducted into an army of
occupation, a decision was taken in the IDF to try the
conscientious objectors at a full court-martial, so as
to deter others from following the path of refusal. *
The military establishment is using other methods as
well in order to deal with the refusal phenomenon.
Deals have been made with other refuseniks, such as
Rotem Ronen, who was allowed to serve without a
weapon, a uniform and an oath of allegiance to the
IDF, or Yoni Yehezkel, who has been released from the
army after three jail terms.
In the upcoming court session the refuseniks will be
given the opportunity, for the first time, to give
their story and explain about the events and
experiences that brought them to difficult decision to
refuse. The five, who have all been peace activists
and belong to organizations which provide humanitarian
aid, will describe their personal encounters as
adolescents with the reality of the occupation – with
the settlers in their pastoral settlements, with
actions that entailed confrontations with army and
with the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians.
These encounters brought each of them in his own way
to a world-view that can not be reconciled with
service in the army, even if this meant paying a high
personal price.
From the testimony of Adam Maor, one of the refuseniks
put on trial:
(On arriving with Ta’ayush activists to the South
Hebron Hills) “Once again I was faced with terrible
actions which were difficult to for me to accept,
certainly it was hard to accept that I had
responsibility for these actions. This time it wasn’t
the act of a small group of crazy (settler) zealots,
as at the village of Yanoun. The people doing this
were soldiers, about my age or younger, people who
didn’t necessarily agree with this kind of action.
People who probably didn’t understand the meaning of
their actions, and didn’t consider them important.
They were ordered to deport the residents of the South
Hebron Hills, so they deported them��
On Tuesday there will also take place a special
session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, with the participation of Prime Minister
Sharon and top IDF brass, on the subject of the army’s
policy towards conscientious objectors. MK Zehava
Galon initiated this session.
For details contact: Amit Meshiach - Telephone 054-578822
Sunday, June 22, 2003
“HELL NO! THEY WON’T GO�
FIVE YOUNG MEN WHO OPPOSE THE OCCUPATION REFUSE TO
ENLIST IN THE IDF AND REQUEST TO DO CIVILIAN COMMUNITY
SERVICE
“We wish to obey our conscience, in place of the army.
So we ask to do service that will benefit the goals of
a civilian society, and not those of the IDF’�, they
declare.�
On Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at 9AM at the military
court in Jaffa, will take place the court-martial of
the five draft resisters (amongst the initiators and
signatories of the “High School Seniors’ Letter):
Haggai Matar; Matan Kaminer; Shimri Zameret; Adam Maor
and Noam Bahat. The five refuse to enlist because of
their conscientious objection to the occupation, and
to the actions by which the army enforces it.
Therefore, they are asking that they be exempted from
military service, and pledge to do a three-year
civilian community service in its place. Adv. Dov
Chenin is representing the five from the Amnon
Zichroni and Associates legal firm.
After more than eight months of recurring trials and
imprisonment, and in reaction to the growing number of
draftees who refused to be inducted into an army of
occupation, a decision was taken in the IDF to try the
conscientious objectors at a full court-martial, so as
to deter others from following the path of refusal. *
The military establishment is using other methods as
well in order to deal with the refusal phenomenon.
Deals have been made with other refuseniks, such as
Rotem Ronen, who was allowed to serve without a
weapon, a uniform and an oath of allegiance to the
IDF, or Yoni Yehezkel, who has been released from the
army after three jail terms.
In the upcoming court session the refuseniks will be
given the opportunity, for the first time, to give
their story and explain about the events and
experiences that brought them to difficult decision to
refuse. The five, who have all been peace activists
and belong to organizations which provide humanitarian
aid, will describe their personal encounters as
adolescents with the reality of the occupation – with
the settlers in their pastoral settlements, with
actions that entailed confrontations with army and
with the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians.
These encounters brought each of them in his own way
to a world-view that can not be reconciled with
service in the army, even if this meant paying a high
personal price.
From the testimony of Adam Maor, one of the refuseniks
put on trial:
(On arriving with Ta’ayush activists to the South
Hebron Hills) “Once again I was faced with terrible
actions which were difficult to for me to accept,
certainly it was hard to accept that I had
responsibility for these actions. This time it wasn’t
the act of a small group of crazy (settler) zealots,
as at the village of Yanoun. The people doing this
were soldiers, about my age or younger, people who
didn’t necessarily agree with this kind of action.
People who probably didn’t understand the meaning of
their actions, and didn’t consider them important.
They were ordered to deport the residents of the South
Hebron Hills, so they deported them��
On Tuesday there will also take place a special
session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, with the participation of Prime Minister
Sharon and top IDF brass, on the subject of the army’s
policy towards conscientious objectors. MK Zehava
Galon initiated this session.
For details contact: Amit Meshiach - Telephone 054-578822