BY JONATHAN GADIR
Cracks are emerging in Israel's social consensus about conflict with the Palestinians, as 62 high school students publicly declared their intention to refuse military service.
The declaration came in an open letter to Israel's prime minister, defence minister, and the Israel Defence Force chief of staff on September 3, and received widespread attention in the Israeli media.
The signatories to the letter, all teenagers nearing the age of compulsory military service, called on their peers throughout Israel to follow their example and refuse to take part in acts of oppression against Palestinian civilians. They pledged to set up stalls outside high schools across the country in order to pursuade more teens to refuse service in the occupied territories or in the armed forces as a whole.
The taboo-shattering letter predictably sparked furious denunciations, but also a strong minority of supportive voices. The editorial of the popular Hebrew daily Ma'ariv counselled that even those who oppose the teenagers' stance should give consideration to the criticism they expressed about Israeli government policy in the occupied territories.
Six Israeli conscripts and reservists are currently serving short terms of imprisonment for refusal to serve in the occupied Palestinian territories or in the army as a whole. In July, six soldiers were jailed, and in August another five. Conscientious objection is not recognised in Israeli law.
However, according to support groups for conscientious objectors, the small number of imprisoned refusers hides a much wider malaise. Around 25% of eligible conscripts are granted exemptions from military service on all sorts of grounds including "unsuitability" or "mental health". An estimated 20% of conscripts do not complete their full term.
One of the heads of Yesh Gvul, a support group for those refusing to serve in the territories, Major (Res.) Yishai Menuhin, told the newspaper Ha'aretz he believes the phenomenon of refusal is growing and the number of regular and reserve soldiers who turn to his organisation is on the rise. He explained that in many cases the Israel Defence Force grants exemptions in order to prevent refusers from gaining publicity.
Some recent refusers have been notable because of their family backgrounds and social standing.
These include 24-year old Sergeant (Res.) Yishai Rosen-Zvi, graduate of a religious seminary on the West Bank and son of the late Professor Ariel Rosen-Zvi, former dean of Tel Aviv University's law faculty, and the linguistics scholar, Captain (Res.) Dr Idan Landau whose imprisonment attracted letters of protest from linguist colleagues in the United States.
Also, 17-year-old Yonatan Ben-Artzi, son of a former senior military officer and a relative of ex-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has publicly announced with the backing of his parents, that he will be a conscientious objector.
An estimated 10,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on August 4 against the Israeli government's policies under the banners "No to a pointless war", and "We don't want to kill or die for the settlements."