Tag: 43 refuseniks

Israel, Media

Is there room for objection in Israel? Or as Abbott suggests the media that don’t support the government are against it!!

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the letter as “baseless slander” and went on to say “this is an act that should be condemned…and that constitutes political exploitation of the Israeli Defense Forces”.

Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Ya’alon, ordered Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz to deal with the 43 reservists “as if they were common criminals”

Israeli Labor MK Shelly Yechimovich slammed the reservists on her Facebook page:

“Your defamatory words on directed bugging of ‘sexual conversations,’ and other nonsensical things have no link to reality. You are falsely slandering the other members of your unit. On Saturday, I spoke with a number of them, men no less moral than you. They feel ridicule and anger towards you. They told me that if you really participated in such an unusual and ugly event, of dimming the lights and listening as a group to intimate calls, why did you not just stop the bug in real time?”

Earlier this year, 19-year-old Israeli Udi Segal refused being drafted into the military and was sentenced to 20 days in military prison.

 

 

Israel

Middle East Israel in ‘grave breach’ over informants

Israeli refuseniks declared a ‘moral duty’ to no longer “take part in the state’s actions against Palestinians.”

Pressuring Palestinians to pass on information to Israel is a violation of the Geneva conventions,says rights group.

Israel’s defence minister said the refuseniks would “be treated as criminals”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called their revelations “baseless slander”.However the 43 refuseniks maintain that the unit – despite its role in counterterrorism – is largely engaged with perpetuating “a non-democratic, military rule over the Palestinian people”.”In order to do that, it must infiltrate every aspect of Palestinian life, and this is something we cannot continue to do in good conscience,” they said.

According to the group, Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention says “compelling a protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile Power” is considered a ‘grave breach.’ War crimes include “grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.”

But an Israeli military spokesperson said concerns were never raised with superiors.

“Immediately turning to the press instead of to their officers or relevant authorities is suspicious and raises doubts as to the seriousness of the claims,” the spokesperson said. “The Intelligence Corps has no record that the specific violations in the letter ever took place.”