[GushShalom] Young dissidents at the forefront

[Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace Bloc)]

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     Gush Shalom
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International release
Jan. 27, 2003

This weekend a "retaliatory invasion" left Gaza with a dozen dead -
among them very young children - and a lot of devastation in the 
already desolate area.
In such an atmosphere Israel prepares for general elections in 
which polls predict a renewed mandate for Sharon. 
The struggle of the refusers which we have been supporting during 
the last year, is more important than ever. It is especially the very 
young dissidents who now are at the forefront of the struggle for 
peace and morality.

- The hunger strike of two imprisoned Conscientious Objectors is 
entering its thirteenth day. [Renewed protest letters requested.]
- An intelligence officer - in his early twenties - holds up an airforce 
strike
- The Chief of Staff gets difficult questions in a "model school."
- Prisoners, guards and elections

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                                //\\

-The hunger strike of two imprisoned Conscientious Objectors is 
entering its thirteenth day. [Renewed protest letters requested.]

[Translation of today's press release]

Hillel Goral and Noam Bahat started their hunger strike on 
January 16, in protest of "the State of Israel's imprisonment and 
mistreatment of Conscientious Objectors as well as the crimes of 
the Occupation" as Goral put it in a statement from his prison cell. 

At the start of their hunger strike, both  of the 18-year old CO's 
were held at Military Prison 4 in Tzrifin (southeast of Tel-Aviv). 
After three days, however, the military authorities decided to 
separate them and transferred Goral to Military Prison 6 at Atlit 
(south of Haifa). But the two keep contact via their parents and 
via lawyers of human rights organizations who regularly visit them,
and they decided to continue their hunger strike. 
Adv. Orna Cohen who visited Goral in prison noticed that his 
fingers were getting bluish and that his body temperature was 
dropping, and at her insistence he was examined at the prison 
clinic. He consented to get an infusion, but otherwise refused 
several pleas to stop his hunger strike, and declared he would 
continue it as long as he is held in prison. And the recent killing of 
thirteen Palestinians -including an eight- year old child - during the 
invasion of Gaza, only increased his determination.

Goral and Bahat are among the 300 signatories of the "Highschool 
Seniors' Letter" (Shministim in Hebrew),  published several 
months ago. Some of them declared their refusal to serve in the 
Occupied Territories while others expresse complete objection to 
any service in the Israeli armed forces (more on the seniors' 
website: www.shministim.org). 
At present, some ten of the signatories are held in military prisons 
for their refusal to enlist, in addition to several reservists refusing 
to take part in the occupation. 
The military authorities have recently hardened their position 
towards the young CO's, sending them to repeated terms of 
imprisonment witthout limitation. Various means by which CO's 
had previously been discharged from service, such as the army's 
"incompatibility committee" or "psychological discharge" are now 
closed off, apparently at orders from high up in the military 
hierarchy. The longest-serving prisoner, so far, is Yoni Ben Artzi, 
who happens to be the nephew of Foreign Minister Netanyahu, 
and who was sentenced to seven consecutive prison terms, a total 
of 196 days with still no end in sight. 
On the most recent occasion, Ben Artzi was personally judged by
General Gil Horev, Head of Manpower in the IDF General Staff - 
who got the task of judging Ben Artzi after lower echelons 
declined to deal with "the hot potato". 

The refusers' struggle got considerable international support,
including from South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, renowned 
for his part in the struggle against the Apartheid regime. The 
imprisoned refusers were recognized as Prisoners of Conscience 
by Amnesty International. About 2000 signatures were
so far collected on an international support petition 
(www.petitiononline.com/091202/"). A coalition of refusers' 
support  organizations, including New Profile, The Seniors' Letter, 
Yesh Gvul, Courage to Refuse and the Refusers' Parents Group, 
and supported by Gush Shalom, are calling upon the government 
and the military authorities to recognize the refusers' democratic 
right to their conscience, i.e. their principled objection to military 
service; to release forthwith all imprisoned COs and to stop the 
repeated imprisonements. 

Protest letter (sample follows) to:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon <pm_eng at pmo.gov.il>
Spokesperson of the Prime Minister <dover at pmo.gov.il>
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz <sar at mod.gov.il>
Spokesperson Defense Ministry <info at mail.idf.il>
Foreign Minister Biyamin Netanyahu <sar at mofa.gov.il>

Copy to: eilatmaoz at hotmail.com (Eilat Maoz, 
Shministim, in charge of contact with prisoners)
 
and (PLEASE) send it also by fax or regular mail to:

Menachem Finkelstein
Military Attorney General
Military postal code 9605, IDF
Israel.
Fax: 03-7376052

Deborah Chassid
Commander of Induction Base in Tel-Hashomer
Military postal code 02718, IDF
Israel.
Fax 03-7376052

Gil Regev
Head of Manpower Division.
Fax: 03-5699400.

Head of the Incompatibility Unit
Induction base.
Fax: 03-7376705.

[sample text]

To the government and military authorities of Israel

Dear Sir / Madam,

I was informed that Hillel Goral (Military ID: 7269230) and Noam 
Bahat (7165951) - both imprisoned conscientious objectors - are 
on hunger strike since Jan. 16. Furthermore, that Jonathan Ben-
Artzi (Military ID 7169436) and Dror Beuml (7282965), have been 
sent to prison for the 7th and 6th time in a row on 16 and 19 Jan. 
2003 respectively. Also serving repeated prison terms, or awaiting 
repeated imprisonment, are conscientious objectors Uri Yaacoby 
(7342725), Yoni Yekhezkel (7246523), Haggai Mattar (7281989), , 
Matan Kaminer (7176324), Adam Maor (7246176) and Shimri 
Tzameret (7305627).

The imprisonment of conscientious objectors is in
clear violation the human right to freedom of conscience, as 
recognized in article 18 of the International Covenant for Civil and 
Political Rights - signed and ratified by the State of Israel.

Moreover, the repeated imprisonment of conscientious objectors  
has been recognized by the United Nations as a form of arbitrary
detention. Such repeated imprisonment is an attempt to change a 
person's conviction using brute force. It is a practice that is 
intolerable where the rule of law prevails.

Thus, the practices of the Israeli army with respect to declared
conscientious objectors are patently illegal and should be halted at 
once. 

I therefore call upon you to immediately and unconditionally release 
all conscientious objectors mentioned above.

Sincerely, ---

                           ***

- An intelligence officer - in his early twenties - holds up an 
airforce strike

[Ha'aretz Internet Editon - Monday, January 27, 2003]

IDF officer removed from post for disrupting planned air strike 

An Israel Defense Forces intelligence officer was recently removed 
from his post after he disrupted a planned air strike that was to 
take place following the double suicide bombing near the Tel Aviv
Central Bus Station, according to a report Monday in the Ma'ariv 
daily. 
Twenty-three people were killed in the January 5 attack. 
The officer claimed that he disrupted the operation in order "to 
prevent harm to innocent Palestinians," the report said. 
In response, the IDF Spokesperson said, "The officer was removed 
after he refused a direct order and harmed the operation." 
According to Ma'ariv, after the Tel Aviv bombing, the IDF planned to 
attack a Palestinian Authority target. The officer, a first lieutenant 
in intelligence who received training in the army's prestigious 
Talpiot program, was in possession of information critical to 
carrying out the air strike, but he did not provide it. 
Only after the high alert was lowered, which had been declared 
after the terror attack, did the officer supply some of the 
information. 
A few days ago, the officer was tried by his unit commander, and 
was removed from his post and transferred to an administrative 
position in central Israel. Military sources estimated that the
punishment should have been more severe, but there was concern 
that the sensitive intelligence information in the officer's possession 
could cause damage to the country.
                           ***

- The Chief of Staff gets difficult questions in a "model school."

[From: Asher Shechter <night_decayed at hotmail.com>]

The Hebrew Reali Highschool in Haifa, which counts among its 
graduates several prominent generals, and which includes inside 
its premises the Military Boarding School, has long prided itself on 
preparing its pupils for "model military service".  
Every year, the Reali holds a full-dress military parade at which 
pupils are required to don uniforms and march in step. To make 
sure of faultless performance, they have to go through countless 
rehearsals in the preceding month, under the scorching sun. The 
principal is Brigadier (ret.) Ron Kitri, former IDF Spokesman, and 
his predecessor also had a distinguished military career. It was the 
Reali which was chosen by Army Chief-of-Staff Moshe Ya'alon 
when he decided to speak to soldiers-to-be so as to increase their 
morale and enthusiasm. 

Still, the Reali, does have dissident voices. Asher Shechter [who 
reports this] at  an eaarlier occasion refused to take part in 
Commemorating the Fallen in the full-dress military parade. The 
dissidents who regularly raise their hands to ask  disturbing 
questions in class or distribute leaflets sometimes encounter sharp 
hostility - though sometimes gaining the respect of fellow pupils. 

The unsuspecting General Ya'alon arrived quite early on 
Wednesday morning. 
Already prior to his arrival leaflets were distributed,  pointing out a 
certain incompatibility between Ya'alon's definition of the 
Palestinian Problem as "a cancer which must be treated" and the 
same general's definition of himself as "a humanitarian upholder of 
human rights". 
About ten minutes after Ya'alon started speaking, two pupils 
spread out a sign reading "You are a war criminal". However, a 
teacher immediately pounced and within a few seconds grabbed 
the sign out of our hands, even before two others had the time to 
spread their complementary sign with "But I am not!". 
The dissidents still had, however, the chance of addressing 
questions to the general, and two of the group made use of the 
opportunity. One asked Ya'alon how he can refer to the IDF as "a 
humanitarian army" when the same army has been imposing a 
military regime over millions of people for the past 35 years, 
resorting to collective punishment and violations of international 
law. The other asked whether Ya'alon considers himself a war 
criminal, having violated the Geneva Convention. The two
questioners spoke in calm voices, which did not prevent the 
majority of pupils from loud booing, and from clapping when other 
questions - far more laudatory - were addressed to the army 
chief. 
For his part, Ya'alon avoided a direct answer, and concentrated 
his response upon the issue of the refusers and "shirkers". He had 
some surprise in store. While strongly objecting to selective 
refusal of service in the Territories, which he characterised as 
"politically-motivated", Ya'alon claimed that there does exist a 
"release track" for "genuine Conscientious Objectors", and that 
any such person should just "present himself at the Induction 
Center" and "declare that military service is contrary to his 
principles and his way".  Strange. The Army-Chief-of-Staff 
declared this explicitly, in front of more than 500 witnesses. Are 
we to believe that CO's have a hitherto unsuspected friend at 
the very top of the military hierarchy? 

At the end, principal Kitri thanked the visiting general and 
apologized for "the behaviour of those who abused their right of 
asking questions". This precipitated a prolonged shouting match 
between a large army-friendly mass of pupils and teachers and 
the small group of dissidents. But the dissidents stood their 
ground. When a teacher accused them of "inciting to murder", one 
of the group presented him with a copy of the leaflet distributed 
and the text of the questions addressed to Ya'alon, and asked him 
to point out the incitement - which the teacher declined to do.

- Prisoners, guards and elections

[The following account was given by A., an inhabitant of Dura in 
the southern part of the West Bank.]

(...) Two of my friends had been imprisoned for several months at 
the Offer Camp near Ramallah. One day when they were there, 
the guards were replaced by new reservists. 
One of the new guards showed himself conspicuously hostile to 
the Palestinian prisoners, all the time pointing his gun as if looking 
for a pretext to shoot. Unlike other guards, he was completely 
unwilling to engage in talk with the prisoners. Any approach from 
their side, even on everyday matters of the prison routine, was 
answered with "You are all murderers, we should throw you out 
of the country". 
Still, my friends persisted in trying to talk to him and tell him that 
his vision of the Palestinians was wrong. Gradually, he started to 
listen to them and speak with less hostility. Still, they were 
surprised when on the last day of his reserve service tour he 
came to say goodbye. He said that they were his friends and that 
the government had lied to him, and promised that he would vote 
for the left in the upcoming Israeli elections.  

You can aalso protest against repeated imprisonment of draft 
resisters at: http://www.petitiononline.com/091202/

 
---
On our site:
http://www.gush-shalom.org/ (òáøéú)
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