[GushShalom] Army imprisons CO Ben Artzi AGAIN - please protest AGAIN

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

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       Gush Shalom
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  Jan. 16, 2003
  
  [1] Army imprisons CO Ben Artzi AGAIN - please protest AGAIN  
  [2] Gush election forum on Monday
  
  [1] Army imprisons CO Ben Artzi AGAIN - please protest AGAIN  
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  Yoni Ben Artzi sent to prison for the seventh (7th) time, 
  bringing his total to 196 days; others following closely.
  Gush Shalom: the army's hardening position shows that   the 
present wave of conscript refusal starts to pose a   problem for 
those who want to perpetuate the occupation.
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  This morning, CO Yoni Ben Artzi entered the military prison for   
the seventh consecutive time for a term of 35-days. Ben-Artzi's   
renewed imprisonment was the culmination of more than a week   
of what seemed a hestitation and equivocation on the army's   part. 
This time, he and other  CO's were not immediately  
  imprisoned upon the end of their previous terms - but were invited 
  to speak with numerous officers and officials. Various 
  possibilities, such as a psychiatric discharge from the army, had 
  been held out to them - only to be withdrawn again. Mention was 
  made of a high-level miltary commission to be appointed of which 
  apparently nothing came. 
  At the end of his new prison term Yoni Ben Artzi (who happens 
  to be the nephew of Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu) will 
  have spent 196 days in jail with no end in sight - for him or for Uri 
  Ya'akobi, Dror Beumel  and an increasing number of Israeli 
  youths who refuse service in the Israeli army and are one by one 
  passing the 90 day mark, which was until recently the maximum. 
  Of the growing number of draft resisters part objects to military 
  service in general, others oppose to being part of an army of 
  occupation.
  
  So, Ben Artzi was once again faced with the choice: "Enlist or go 
  to prison!". With a difference, however - Col. Deborah Chassid, 
  who had previously sentenced the CO's, this time told Ben Artzi 
  she was washing her hands of him and his friends and passing 
  the matter off to her superiors. (This may not be unconnected 
  with the thousands of protest letters and faxes which poured into 
  her office from all over the world in the past month). 
  
  In the end, Ben Artzi was sentenced by General Gil Regev in 
  person - member of the General Staff in charge of manpower, just 
  one rank below the top of the pyramid. Ben Artzi had told the 
  general (as he reported a few minutes later, just before his mobile 
  phone was taken away): "Unless you find a way through your 
  own bureaucratic procedures and release me from the army, you 
  will have to see me here again and again - for there is no way I 
  am going to enlist". Ben Artzi also reminded General Regev that 
  he had been recognized as a Prisoner of Conscience by 
  Amnesty International. He remarked that if it is possible for  
  thousands of ultra-Orthodox to be granted an exemption from 
  military service, it is not more than fair aalso to exempt the 
  Conscientious Objectors. (Many of the religious are not at all 
  opposed to violence or occupation - on the contrary.)
  The general had only one answer: "You have appealed to the 
  Consicence Committee and it rejected your offer." (The 
  committee rejects virtually everybody regardless of his 
  arguments.) 
  
  Gush Shalom: the army leadership's hardening position proves 
  that the refuser movement among conscripts starts to pose a 
  serious problem. The present government policy of more and 
  more oppression, and ongoing occupation is dependent upon a 
  reliable army with obedient soldiers. But among today's eighteen 
  year olds there is an unprecedented wave of protesters. These 
  young people deserve all the support they can get.
  
  Please continue to send protest letters - your own or following 
  sample.
  
  By fax and/or by regular mail to:

   Induction Base, Tel-Hashomer
   Military Postal Code 02718, IDF
  Israel.
  Fax: +972-3-7376052
  
  attn General Gil Regev
  
  With an email copy to:
  The Minister  of Defense <sar at mod.gov.il>
  Spokesperson Defense Ministry <info at mail.idf.il>
  and/or Israeli embassy in your country
  (Israeli embassy addresses are listed on
  http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0czk0 )
  and, please make of it ALSO a letter to the editor of your paper, 
  wherever you live.
  
  [following is the sample letter]
  
  I hereby protest your sending Yoni Ben Artzi for the seventh 
  consecutive time to prison, and again for the same fact. It is very 
  discriminatory to exempt every year  thousands of ultra-Orthodox 
  while subjecting Conscientious Objectors to repeated 
  imprisonment without limit. It is immoral to try to break these 
  young people for no other reason than that they are a moral 
  minority. In a democratic country minorities are to be treated with 
  respect.
  
  [Your name and address]
  
  NB: If you don't have a fax you may also send your letter to:
  ofra_benartzi at hotmail.com from where it will be passed on.
  Preferably NOT as attachment but as simple text in the email 
  message body.
  
  [2] Gush election forum on Monday
  
  Who to vote for?
  
  Many in the peace camp are hesitating. Everyone knows that we 
  must vote because abstention will help the right-wing to keep 
  power in the country. But which of the lists that are identified with 
  "the left" deserves our precious vote?
  Gush Shalom, as an independent and non-partisan organization 
  has taken up providing a forum where representatives of different 
  parties present their position towards a peace-oriented audience.
  
  The forum discussion will take place on Monday, Jan. 20 at 8 
  pm, at the Kibbutz Ha'artzi building, 13 Leonardo da Vinci Street, 
  Tel-Aviv (between Kaplan and Sha'ul Hamelech).
  
  Participants:
  Professor Yuli Tamir (Labor Party)
  KM Mossi Raz (Meretz)
  KM Tamar Gozaansky (Hadash)
  Dr Jamal Zachalka (Balad)
  Moderator: Uri Avnery
  
  Admission to cover expenses: 20 NIS.
  
  
  Furthermore, you can protest against repeated imprisonment of 
  draft resisters - with no end in sight - at:
  http://www.petitiononline.com/091202/
  
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