ISRAEL: Two conscientious objectors on hunger strike

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War Resisters' International learned today that two Israeli conscientious objectors who are presently in prison started a hunger strike on Thursday, 16 January 2003.
Hillel Goral (ISR12841) and Noam Bahat (ISR12842) are both signatories of the "senior's letter", and were imprisoned recently. Hillel Goral was sentenced to 42 days in prison No 4. He originally got 28 days, but 14 more days were added to his term because he refused to wear a uniform and cut his hair. For the same reason he was sent to the isolation ward (see ISR12701-12840to12847-070103 - http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/07012003a.html) Noam Bahat was sentenced to 28 days in prison no. 4. Noam Bahat writes in his declaration: "I declare a hunger strike as a protest on my confinement in a military jail because of my views against the occupation fop the Palestinian people. I am also protesting against the occupation itself."
They both drink tea with sugar and eat salt.

On the same day both started their hunger strike, Jonathan Ben-Artzi was sentenced to a further 35 days imprisonment, bringing his total up to 196 days (ISR12371-160103 - http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/16012003a.html)

War Resisters' International calls for strong protests against the repeated imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Israel, especially against the seventh prison terms for Jonathan Ben-Artzi.

War Resisters' International calls for letters of support to Jonathan Ben-Artzi, Hillel Goral, and Noam Bahat.

Jonathan Ben-Artzi (Mil ID 7169436)
Hillel Goral
Noam Bahat
Military Prison No 4
Military Postal Code 02507
IDF, Israel

War Resisters' International calls for strongly worded letters of protest to the Israeli authorities, and Israeli embassies abroad. We recommend you refer to UN Commission on Human Rights Resolutions 2002/45 and 1998/77 (demanding the right to conscientious objection, and condemning repeated imprisonment of conscientious objectors as an attempt to break them).

War Resisters' International calls for the immediate release of conscientious objector Jonathan Ben-Artzi, Hillel Goral, and Noam Bahat, and all other imprisoned conscientious objectors.

Andreas Speck
War Resisters' International
ADDRESSES
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
37 Kaplan st.,
Tel-Aviv 61909,
Israel.
e-mail: mailto:sar@mod.gov.il or mailto:pniot@mod.gov Fax: ++972-3-696-27-57 / ++972-3-691-69-40 / ++972-3-691-79-15

Commander of Military Prison No. 4,
Military Postal Code 02507
IDF, Israel
Fax: ++972-3-957-52-76

Commander of Military Prison No 6
Military Prison No 6
Military postal number 01860,
IDF
Israel.
Fax: ++972-4-869-28-84

Addresses of Israeli embassies can be found at http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/israel1.htm

Addresses of Israeli media:
Ma'ariv:
2 Karlibach st.
Tel-Aviv 67132
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-561-06-14
e-mail: editor@maariv.co.il

Yedioth Aharonoth:
2 Moses st.
Tel-Aviv
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-608-25-46

Ha'aretz (Hebrew):
21 Schocken st.
Tel-Aviv, 61001
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-681-00-12

Ha'aretz (English edition):
21 Schocken st.
Tel-Aviv, 61001
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-512-11-56
e-mail: letters@haaretz.co.il

Jerusalem Post:
POB 81
Jerusalem 91000
Israel
Fax: ++972-2-538-95-27
e-mail: news@jpost.co.il or letters@jpost.co.il

Jerusalem Report:
Fax: ++972-2-537-94-89

Radio (fax numbers):
Kol-Israel ++972-2-531-33-15 and ++972-3-694-47-09 Galei Tzahal ++972-3-512-67-20

Television (fax numbers):
Channel 1 ++972-2-530-15-36
Channel 2 ++972-2-533-98-09