Israel

A group of former South African conscientious objectors — who publicly refused to serve in the apartheid army — have issued a letter of solidarity with Israeli activists refusing military service. Their message draws on their own history of resistance to institutional violence and extends it to today’s struggles in Israel and Palestine.

The Movement for a Non-Violent Alternative (MAN) in Lyon, together with the Raja Tikva Association, is hosting two young Israeli conscientious objectors, Itamar and Soul, on a tour of France from 13 to 28 November 2025.

Daniel Schultz, a 19-year-old from Israel, has been sentenced to 20 days in military prison for refusing mandatory military service. In a public statement released before her sentencing, Schultz wrote, “I’m refusing because it is the most human thing to do. In the face of babies starved to death, entire villages violently uprooted, and civilians sent to torture camps — there is no other choice.”

I didn't need to follow the news to know something was happening. From where I live, inside the belly of the beast, I could hear the warplanes and feel the quaking of the explosions.

War Resisters’ International, in collaboration with Connection e.V., is organising a side event during the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The event will focus on the right to conscientious objection in times of war with contributions of conscientious objectors from Russia, Ukraine and Israel, alongside experts from international organisations.

A group of Israeli teenagers has publicly declared their refusal to serve in the Israeli military, protesting against the genocide in Gaza and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories. The refusers are calling for an end to the war in Gaza and urging others to resist conscription.

New Profile, an Israeli antimilitarist and feminist organisation, and a member of the War Resisters’ International network, has just published its Annual Report. The report outlines the group’s work over the past year, including their efforts to end the genocide in Gaza, support conscientious objectors, and promote a demilitarised society in Israel.

In this ‘war against life,’ hunger has become yet another instrument of genocide, a structural violence that silently kills by removing the possibility of satisfying basic needs. Famine is wiping out a generation of babies, girls, and boys, destroying an entire people with physical and psychological injuries that will be difficult to reconcile with a dignified life.

On the occasion of International Conscientious Objection Day, we are sharing the voices of conscientious objectors from around the world — individuals who have taken a stand against war and militarism by refusing to serve in the armed forces.

Itamar Greenberg, an 18-year-old conscientious objector from Israel, has been released after serving a total of 197 days in prison for refusing mandatory military conscription in protest against what he described as “Israel’s crimes against humanity” in Gaza. 

As a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel comes into force, we can only begin to imagine the relief of all those who were being bombed yesterday, but are not being bombed today.

Palestinians have been able to steadfastly face Israeli attempts at obliterating the knowledge and skills that Palestinians draw on to maintain a sustainable attachment to the land. I call this the act of eco-sumud, meaning eco-steadfastness.