refusal

Israeli soldiers salute during the national anthem at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 10, 2016. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

How an army refusal letter became the last stand of the Zionist left

Two decades ago, hundreds of Israeli reservists caused a national sensation for refusing to serve in the occupied territories. But what remains of their legacy?

By Noam Sheizaf March 29, 2022

Palestinian and Israeil flags (Activestills)

What Israelis really mean when we talk about the Left

It is a shameful lie to make opposition to 47-year military rule an issue of supporters or traitors of Israel. The war in Gaza yielded a large crop of articles about Liberal Zionism. Suddenly numerous authors felt an urgent need to reject, redefine, defend or deconstruct a term that the vast majority of Israelis have…

By Dahlia Scheindlin October 12, 2014

Israeli soldiers near the Palestinian city of Halhul, where the bodies of the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers were found. (photo: Activestills)

Refusal by elite IDF reservists angrily dismissed as ‘political’

Following the public refusal of 43 reservists of the IDF’s 8200 intelligence unit, politicians and other veterans of the unit have openly denounced the reservists, viewing their refusal as an unacceptable politicization of their army service. Political leaders both from the government and the opposition condemned 43 reservists from Israel’s prestigious 8200 intelligence unit who stated their refusal to take…

By Dahlia Scheindlin September 14, 2014

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Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron take part in the search operation for three kidnapped Israeli teenagers, June 18, 2014. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

IDF’s ‘start-up nation’ reservists refuse to serve the occupation

One of the most striking points in the unprecedented refusal letter is the forceful argument that Israel’s policies vis-a-vis Palestinians are simply unrelated to defense –and they are a matter of choice. Forty-three members of the IDF’s prestigious and secretive Unit 8200 have signed a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating their refusal to…

By Dahlia Scheindlin September 12, 2014

Israeli policemen advance as Bedouin youth throw stones during a protest against the Israeli government's Prawer Plan, near the town of Hura, Israel, on November 30, 2013 near the town of Hura, Israel. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

A week in photos: Days of rage

This week: Anti-Prawer Plan protests from south to north, tear gas weapons on a Bethlehem Christmas tree, a Druze refusenik, a fake fur fashion show, a water break during clashes, an Emmy-winner against the wall, Ethiopians arrested, Al-Araqib endures demolition, Afghan asylum seekers in Europe, and the ongoing humiliations of occupation. Photos: Activestills.org …

By Activestills December 5, 2013

Israeli soldiers search a Palestinian at an IDF checkpoint. (photo: Breaking the Silence)

‘How speaking out about the occupation nearly landed me in jail’

When even reporting an immoral act by a senior officer carries with it a serious price, it becomes clear that one cannot win against the army. Been there, done that. In July 1989, as a young, bored soldier in the IDF’s main draft base in Tel Ha’Shomer, I asked my colonel to be transferred to…

By Yossi Gurvitz June 16, 2013

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Druze teen to Netanyahu: ‘I will not be a soldier in your army’

Omar Saad, a young Druze from the town of Maghar in northern Israel declared his refusal to serve in the IDF in late 2012. Although the Druze are considered to be an ethnic group that has assimilated well in the Israeli community, the voices of refusal within the community are becoming stronger. In an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,…

By Social TV March 6, 2013

Why I Refuse: On God/love, nonviolence and the occupation

‘The Occupation is anti-God, anti-Love and staggeringly, constantly violent.’ Why I refuse to serve in the IDF. My name is Moriel Zachariah Rothman. I am 23 years old and live in Jerusalem. I lived for most of my life in the United States, but I was born in Jerusalem (and am Jewish) and have thus…

By +972 Magazine October 15, 2012

The four conscientious objectors (Compilation of Activestills pictures)

WATCH: Refusing to enlist in the IDF

“Only after the first time I went to the occupied territories did I realize that I could never be a part of the army.” -Alon Gurman, 19, from Tel Aviv. In March 2012, Alon Gurman and three other Israelis announced their decision to refuse to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, forming the first collective…

By +972 Magazine May 26, 2012

The four conscientious objectors (Compilation of Activestills pictures)

Four young Israelis refuse army draft in new refusenik wave

In the coming weeks, three young Israelis are expected to go to prison for their refusal to enlist in the Israeli army, and a fourth conscientious objector received an exemption from service yesterday. Together they form the first group of refuseniks in Israel in the past three years. These are their stories. Since December, I’ve…

By Haggai Matar March 22, 2012

An Ethiopian teen’s principled refusal to join the IDF

“Y.E.S. – Young Ethiopian Students” have published a letter from one of their readers, an 18-year-old about to join the IDF. The story of the Ethiopian community in Israel is one of the most profoundly shameful chapters in the history of the state, which deserves a separate post; but I will only say the Ethiopian…

By Dimi Reider May 14, 2011