Israel

In the last months in Israel a group of Druze Palestinian war refusers has publicly launched their campaign,  reservists and new conscripts have declared their refusal to take part in Israeli military operations in Gaza, and resistance to the call up of the ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) continues.

Elbit Systems is one of the world's largest defence electronics manufacturers and integrators. Established in 1967, and based in Haifa, Israel, Elbit employs 11,000 people worldwide. It supplies the military, navy and air force in the occupation of Palestine, and has profited greatly from Israel's numerous attacks and assaults on the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

The last fortnight has seen growing protests against the companies arming the Israeli military, in particular the company Elbit Systems. “This is part of a growing direct action campaign against corporations that are profiteering from making machineries of death”, said the Melbourne Palestine Action Group, who occupied their factory in Melbourne. In Britain, the London Palestine Action Group occupied Elbit's factory in Birmingham. In the US groups stopped the Israeli ship Zim Haifa from unloading goods at the Oakland port.  WRI has signed up to the European Network Against Arms Trade statement calling upon the European Union to end its military support for Israel. Have a look at Sahar Vardi's article on resisting militarism within Israel here and WRI's statement on the assault on Gaza.

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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

Originally posted at: http://afsc.org/friends/while-bombs-fall-gaza-resisting-militarism-israel

While the bombs fall on Gaza and the majority of Israeli society seems to support the continuance of the military attack on Gaza, we, as Israelis horrified by the actions of our government, find our voices lost. What can we say and do? What value might this have? How can our echoes have any impact on the situation now?

Smoke rises over Gaza city by Anne Paq

Internally in Israeli Jewish-society, it is clear that our voice remains unwelcome – protestors calling for the immediate end of the attack on Gaza have been  physically assaulted, eggs, rocks and chairs thrown at them, and some even hospitalized; celebrities who dare  to criticize the military have been  publically shunned and the majority of the elected opposition in the Knesset are aligning positions with the right-wing government. Those politicians, mostly Palestinians living in Israel, who dared to speak out have been cursed, threatened and physically dragged out of the Knesset.

http://www.enaat.org/news/IsraelGaza.shtml

As the conflict in the Gaza Strip continues to escalate, and the body count continues to increase, the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) has called for an immediate end to all European military support for Israel and for the EU to declare a comprehensive arms embargo on all parties in conflict. Pending such an embargo, all EU states must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and ammunitions to the parties in conflict.

The Assembly of the War Resisters’ International, gathered in the City Hall of Cape Town, South Africa, strongly condemns the ongoing assault by the Israeli military on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. War Resisters’ International considers all war a crime against humanity, and we therefore call for the immediate end of hostilities, and in particular the repeated aggression by the State of Israel against Palestinians.

As opponents of war, we also oppose the causes of war, and stand in solidarity with oppressed people all over the world. We therefore call for the end of the occupation of Palestine and—especially gathered at the building from which Nelson Mandela made his first speech after release from prison—we call for the end of all forms of Apartheid everywhere.

Following a meeting in Cyprus of conscientious objector and war refuser movements in the Eastern Mediterranean region at the end of January, when CO in Cyprus Murat Kanatlı (and co-organiser of the meeting in Nicosia) was imprisoned for ten days in February, solidarity actions took place in Turkey, Greece and Israel (by Druze Palestinian objectors). In Athens, activists were temporarily detained for their protest at the Turkish embassy. Watch a video of activists in Istanbul here.

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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.

Terry Crawford-Browne

Introduction:

One is familiar with the “criminal underworld” of thieves, gangs, drug lords, the Italian Mafia, and other manifestations of organised crime.

More serious is the “criminal overworld” of corrupt politicians, corrupt bankers, corrupt lawyers -- in other words the world’s elites. Historically, this is not a new phenomenon. In recent years however, it has become more pervasive and blatant in which privileged members of society fleece the public, evade taxation and lobby vigorously for even greater benefits.

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=_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.