ISRAEL:Lebanon war resisters in prison

en

War Resisters' International is presently aware of three Israeli
soldiers imprisoned for refusing to take part in the war in Lebanon.
According to Yesh Gvul, several more reservists might refuse in the
near future.



First Sergeant Omri Zeid (ISR14797), an artilleryman from
Tzfat, refused to shell Mjadara, a Lebanese village. Zeid, serving in
an artillery battery in the North Golan Heights, was ordered to shoot
150 shells at the village. Zeid took up his backpack and told his
fellow soldiers "I am not willing to be part of an army which shoots
on women and children", whereupon he departed. He did so one day
before his discharge [from the
annual one-month active service term]. According to media reports, Zeid
is not being tried for his refusal, and was officially discharged one
day later, as scheduled (Ma'ariv, 2 August 2006).



Captain Amir Pastar (ISR14798) had been called up recently to
join the fighting in Lebanon. Last Sunday, he declared that he refuses
to take part in this war. He was sentenced to 28 days in military
prison. Amir Pastar stated that "participating in the war
contradicts the values I was brought up upon". He prefers to serve
time in prison rather than act against his conscience. Amir Pastar
should be due out around 26 August 2006.

Amir is not involved in organisations concerned either with social
issues or refusal. He arrived at his decision to refuse only Saturday
evening, when participating in a demonstration called for by
women-against-the-war. Because he is not a member of a support group,
it is especially important to send him messages of solidarity and
support.



Please write your messages of support to:

Amir Paster (Military ID 5103057)

Prison 6

Military Post 01860

IDF, Israel

Staff Sergeant Itzik Shabbat (ISR14799) is considered the first
objector to the war in Lebanon. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz
reported his case on 19 July 2006. Shabbat was ordered to report for
reserve duty in the territories on 19 July 2006, which he refused to
do. However, it is unclear from the report in Ha'aretz whether he
reported to his unit or not, and what happened to him afterwards. Itzik
Shabbat declared: "I know people will attack me and ask how could I
not take part in this war when Qassams are falling on my hometown and
Katyushas on the towns in the north," he told Haaretz. "In my
opinion, only this type of opposition that I've chosen will put an end
to the madness that is going on now and will shatter the false feeling
that the entire home front supports this unnecessary war that is based
on deceptive considerations."



War Resisters' International calls for letters of protest to the
Israeli authorities, and Israeli embassies abroad. An email letter can
be sent at http://www.wri-irg.org/co/alerts/20060802a.html.



War Resisters' International calls for the immediate release of
conscientious objector Amir Pastar, and
all other imprisoned conscientious objectors.



Andreas Speck

War Resisters' International


Addresses

Mr Amir Peretz

Minister of Defence,

Ministry of Defence,

37 Kaplan st.,

Tel-Aviv 61909,

Israel

e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il or 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 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



Commander of Military Prison No 400

Military Prison No 400

Military postal number 02447

IDF, Israel

Fax: +972-3-9579389



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:

P.O. Box 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


Archives of co-alert can be found at http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts