Right to Refuse to Kill

War Resisters' International supports nonviolent resisters in Palestine and Israel. We are in solidarity with conscientious objectors and those who refuse to participate in the Israeli army. Conscription is active in Israel for women and men, for Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Druze. As well as conscripting full-time recruits, reservists are also enlisted after their mandatory military service has ended. Many reservists have been drafted in 'Operation Protective Edge', the Israeli military assault on Gaza.

If you are subject to compulsory military service in Israel, and do not want to go, contact New Profile.

What you can do to support war resisters in Palestine and Israel Disseminate the statement 'We are Israeli reservists. We refuse to serve.' (published 23 July 2014) Send an email protesting the imprisonment of three conscientious objectors in Israel here Sign up to receive WRI's CO-Alerts. You will receive an email when conscientious objectors around the world are imprisoned or punished. You will be able to send an email to protest their persecution to the governments / authorities responsible  Read and distribute statement from WRI's Assembly WRI statement on the present Israeli assault on Gaza. Read the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) statement, which WRI has signed: European Union must end its military support for Israel

15th May was International Conscientious Objection Day, marked around the world as a day to celebrate those who have and those who continue to resist war, especially by refusing to be part of military structures.

Hundreds of people worldwide are imprisoned for rejecting conscription, or leaving the armed forces having developed a conscientious objection to war. In the Republic of Korea alone, there are more than 400 people incarcarated.

A big thank you to everyone who helped finance o

ur work Countering the Miltiarisation of Youth.

Our crowdfunding campaign has raised over £1200 to help us in the next stage of our work.

Read our book on the issue of youth militairsation, Sowing Seeds: The Militarisation of Youth and How to Counter It online here.

Watch our video to learn more about the issue here.

Is it enough to challenge war when it's upon us? 

Or do we need to ask, “How do we 'learn war' in the first place?”

This is the question War Resisters' International's new project – Countering the Militarisation of Youth – is asking.

Please donate to help us reach our target of £1,200. And if you have friends or networks you could share this with, please do.

Watch our video to learn more about the issue here

Action against the imprisonment of Omar Saad in front of the Greek Parliament at 'Syntagma' Square (Constitution Square) in Athens. 6th April 2014, by activists from Amnesty International in Greece.

The campaign “Refuse, your nation will protect you” was officially launched in a demonstration in front

of the Atlit military prison last Friday, 21st of March 2014. The program and future action plan aiming to left the mandatory military service off the sons of the Arab Druze society was introduced.

Is it enough to challenge war when it's upon us? 

Or do we need to ask, “How do we 'learn war' in the first place?”

This is the question War Resisters' International's new project – Countering the Militarisation of Youth – is asking.

Please donate to help us reach our target of £1,200. And if you have friends or networks you could share this with, please do.

Watch our video to learn more about the issue here

Those of you subscribed to WRI's CO Alerts will have recognised a new wave of Druze Palestinian refusers in Israel. These include Omar Saad and Seif Abu Seif. One of the movement's activists, Maisan Hamdan, wrote for WRI on the campaign in the latest CO Update. Activists with the Druze refusers group attended a meeting of CO and war refuser movements in the Eastern Mediterrean recently, sign up for the nex CO Update to see a report of this meeting.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQJwijEjBkY autoplay:0]

The Turkish-Cypriot conscientious objector Murat Kanatlı was sentenced to ten days in prison for his refusal to participate in the annual compulsory military exercises in the northern part of Cyprus Februar 25, 2014.

On February 28th, organizations of conscientious objectors from several countries demanded his release on an international action day. See photos below, and video above from an action in Istanbul.

The Egyptian group No to Compolsory Military Service also put out a statement: 'Free Murat Kanatli Now'.

December saw 45 Kurdish men and women in Turkey declaring their conscientious objection 'in order to remember the 34 young men killed in the Roboski massacre two years ago', through the Roboski Conscientious Objection and Amed (Diyarbakir) Conscientious Objection Initiatives. The death of 34 young men occurred at the Turkish-Iraqi border, when two Turkish F16 jets fired at a group of villagers, claiming to act on information that PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party) militants were crossing the border. Faruk Encü, making a statement in the name of the Roboski Conscientious Objection Initiative, said “Here we are calling once again on those village-guards that have been made into a part of this militarist process, to those who are sending those close to them and their children to do military service, and to those people who are part of this war-making machine to make a few cents. Reject taking up arms for a sexist structure that has his turned this region into a graveyard of peoples, and if you have already taken up arms immediately correct this wrong.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rNleFhNtDs autoplay:0]

"In the year 1949 and after the establishment of the state of Israel, minorities were emancipated from serving in the Israeli army. In the year 1954, the security office attempted to recruit all the Arab citizens in the country, yet, the attempts failed by facing a strict refusal. In the year 1956, the Palestinian Druze youth were compulsorily recruited to serve in the Israeli army, and in the year 1958 the Circassian youth were compulsorily recruited". (The law of serving the security in the state of Israel).

This is how the Arab Druze youth were recruited in the Israeli army by the order of Israeli minister of security and under the name of "law". This proves the inaccuracy of the Israeli narrative that claims: "Druze approached the state requesting to serve in the army.

[video:http://youtu.be/HWKrdVP860s width:400 height:300 autoplay:0]

Salvador talking about nonviolence


Salvador, long-time activist with the conscientious objection group “Quinto Mandamiento” in Barrancabermeja, needs emergency medical support.