Support Israeli conscientious objectors

On 30 October a group of Turkish antimilitarists gathered at the front door of the Israeli Consulate of Istanbul and declared their support for two Israeli conscientious objectors, [name removed] and Or Ben-David, who had been arrested last week for objecting to the war politics of the Israeli governments against the Palestinian people.

We, the undersigned young women and men, Jews and Arabs from all parts of the country, hereby declare that we will toil against the occupation and oppression policies of the Israeli government in the occupied territories, and in the territory of the land of Israel, and therefore refuse to take part in actions related to such policies, which are carried out in our name by the Israeli Defence Force.

Yesh Gvul reported on 26 June that three of its members - Micha Rachman, Mordechai Zeldon and Peretz Kidron - have been summoned to interrogation by the Israeli police. The alleged grounds for the investigation is the suspicion that the group and its members engage in "incitement to evade military service", do so consistently and "promise financial incentives" to that end.

On 26 April 2009, six members of WRI's Israeli affiliate New Profile were detained by Israeli police, their homes raided, and their computers, and also computers of partners, seized. Among those detained was also Sergeiy Sandler, a member of the WRI Council and Executive Committee. All those detained were interrogated at Ramat Hachiyal police station in the Yarkon Region of the police. After the interrogation, all five were released, but only after agreeing to bail conditions which do not allow them to contact each other in the coming thirty days. The computers of partners were returned, but not the computers of those detained. Other Israeli activists have been summoned to report to the same police station the following day (27 April 2009). According to New Profile, 10 other activists have received summons to appear at a police station for interrogation.

On 26 April 2009, five members of WRI's Israeli affiliate New Profile were detained by Israeli police, their homes raided, and their computers, and also computers of partners, seized. Among those detained was also Sergeiy Sandler, a member of the WRI Council and Executive Committee. All those detained were interrogated at Ramat Hachiyal police station in the Yarkon Region of the police. After the interrogation, all five were released, but only after agreeing to bail conditions which do not allow them to contact each other in the coming thirty days.

The Police Detained Political Activists from Ramat Hasharon, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beer Sheva

“One who believed that criminal cases due to political activism are conjured up “only” for Arab citizens discovers that s/he is also liable to be detained due to the expression of opinions concerning the failures of the society and rule in Israel.” Amongst the detainees – a 70 year old ceramic artist, the daughter of a family of “Righteous among the Nations” from Holland, a grandmother to six Israeli grandchildren

A/HRC/10/29

Report of the Human Rights Council on its tenth session

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"461. Israel had also taken upon itself to promote the following items from the Council's recommendations:"

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"(h) Granting the right to those who object to serve in the army on conscientious grounds to serve instead with a civilian body independent of the military, such as in the form of the newly established and strengthened Public Commission for National Civil Service;"

Source: http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G09/174/51/PDF/G0917451.pdf?…

A/HRC/10/76

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"41. Slovenia noted with concern the information in the OHCHR compilation and stakeholders’ reports on the refusal to the right to conscientious objection, part of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and on imprisonment in this regard. It asked if Israel intended to review this, and recommended ceasing imprisoning conscientious objectors and considering granting the right to conscientious objection to serve instead with a civilian body independent of the military."

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II. CONCLUSIONS AND/OR RECOMMENDATIONS

After four prison terms, Israeli conscientious objector Mia Tamarin was finally discharged from the Israeli military. She received a "profile 21", a code used by the military of Israel to classify Israelis who are deemed to have physical or psychological disabilities making them permanently unfit for military service.

With her discharge from military service, the vicious cycle of imprisonment and refusal did now come to an end.

The Jewish-American group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has announced a solidarity campaign with the Shministim, a group of Israeli high school students who refuse to serve in the Israeli military because of the occupation of Palestinian Territories. Historian Howard Zinn, a member of JVP’s Advisory Board, asked tens of thousands of JVP supporters to help secure thousands of letters to the ISraeli Minister of Defense on behalf of the Shministim. The Shministim will hold a Day of Action in Tel Aviv on December 18th to demand release of conscientious objectors who have been imprisoned.

Demand an end to the punishment of Israeli conscientious objectors

A campaign by War Resisters' International in co-operation with New Profile and Connection e.V.

In Israel, men and women are obliged to perform military service.

After several years of legal batte, the legal case of Israeli conscientious objector finally came to an end today, with the Israeli High Court rejecting Yonathan Ben-Artzi's petition to be recognised as a conscientious objector. After several months in and out of military prison, and a trial that laster for almost one year, Yonathan Ben-Artzi was found guilty of refusing to enlist, but was not sent to prison again so far (see WRI's report "Conscience on Trial", February 2004).