International Conscientious Objection Day

The Israeli refusenik organisation Yesh Gvul has a programme called "adopt a refusenik", aimed at generating support for Israeli refusenik and conscientious objectors. As part of WRI's campaign to support conscientious objectors in Israel, WRI also promote Yesh Gvul's "adopt a refusenik" programme.

Yesh Gvul: Adopting a refusenik

We in Yesh Gvul have found over the years that an effective way of supporting jailed refuseniks, is by having them adopted by support groups from outside of Israel.

New Profile and WRI invite you to an International Refusal seminar which takes place on May 9th-15th, 2003, in the "Old Jaffa" Hostel in Jaffa. For details call +972-58-595500

The programme:

The project will start with a seminar style event on the weekend prior to 15th May (Friday/Saturday 9/10 May 2003).

Focus on Israeli refuseniks and nonviolent resistance against the Israeli occupation and in favour of coexistence and cooperation

Resources and links on Israel and Palestine | Seminar/action details | History of International Conscientious Objectors' Day | Right to Refuse to Kill project

Many Israelis believe in separation from the Palestinian populace. Some call for the erection of a segregating fence between ourselves and the Palestinian populace of the 1967-occupied territories, while some call for an agreement with the "legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people". In this way, they claim, the occupation will be ended and Israel shall be cleansed of its responsibility for the situation of the Palestinians.

Huwaida Araf

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) was founded to support and strengthen the Palestinian nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Palestinian people, who have been dispossessed since 1948 -- over 750,000 driven from their lands for the establishment of the Israeli state, and approximately 3 million who have been living under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 -- over the years have adopted various means of struggle in an attempt to regain their homeland.

Peretz Kidron

Andreas Speck

The situation of Druze conscientious objectors does not receive much attention - neither from the media, nor from the peace movement inside Israel, nor from abroad.

The Druze form a minority within the Arab population of Israel. When Israel introduced military service in 1949, it was supposed to be compulsory for all Arab and Palestinian men.

Israel is the only country with conscription for women. Shani Werner, a woman activist with the Shministim and with New Profile, takes a look at women's draft resistance.

Shani Werner

Israel is the only country in the world that practises conscription for women. It is thus also the only country in the world where women's draft resistance exists.

Support to Israeli conscientious objectors is needed War Resisters' International Executive, 23 February 2003

The Executive Committee of War Resisters' International, the 81-year-old international network of pacifist organisations with 90 affiliates in 45 countries, expressed its grave concern about the situation of conscientious objectors to military service in Israel during its Executive meeting in London this weekend.

Yesh Gvul have found over the years that an effective way of supporting jailed refuseniks, is by having them adopted by support groups from outside of Israel.

Sergeiy Sandler

This issue of The Broken Rifle focuses on War Resisters' International's campaign in support of Israeli conscientious objectors and refusers, and nonviolent resistance to the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.