The ‘only democracy in the Middle East’ jails conscientious objectors

This is an Older Post From 2013 Which Has Been Updated

Israel set to jail teenage conscientious objector for eighth time

 In the modern equivalent of Sparta, to refuse to engage in the repression of the occupation is itself a crime.   And to think they used to call the Jewish state-to-be a ‘light among the nations’!!

Tony Greenstein

Photograph: Amir Cohen/REUTERS

 Nathan Blanc has spent more than 100 days in prison over the past 19 weeks due to his refusal to enlist in Israeli army

Harriet Sherwood, Jerusalem, The Guardian, Monday 1 April 2013

Israeli soldiers on patrol: most Israelis grow up knowing that compulsory military service – three years for boys, two for girls – lies at the end of their school days. 

It is a routine Nathan Blanc knows well. At 9am on Tuesday morning, the 19-year-old will report, as instructed in his draft papers, to a military base near Tel Aviv. There he will state his objection to serving in the Israeli army. Following his refusal to enlist, Blanc expects to be arrested and sentenced to between 10 and 20 days in jail. He will then be taken to Military Prison Number 6 to serve his time. And then, following his release, the cycle will begin over again.

The reason why Blanc knows what to expect is that this will be the eighth time the teenage conscientious objector has been jailed in the past 19 weeks. Since the date of his original call-up for military service, Blanc has spent more than 100 days in prison; on one occasion, he was released on a Tuesday and re-imprisoned two days later on a Thursday.

Blanc began to consider the possibility of refusing the draft several years ago. "It was a very hard decision, it took me a long time to get to it," he says.

The turning point was Operation Cast Lead, the war in Gaza that began at the end of 2008 and ended three weeks later with a Palestinian death toll of around 1,400. In a statement issued when he was first imprisoned, Blanc said: "The wave of aggressive militarism that swept the country then, the expressions of mutual hatred, and the vacuous talk about stamping out terror and creating a deterrent effect were the primary trigger for my refusal."

The government, he said, was "not interested in finding a solution to the existing situation, but rather in preserving it … We will talk of deterrence, we will kill some terrorist, we will lose some civilians on both sides, and we will prepare the ground for a new generation full of hatred on both sides … We, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate in this cynical game."

In an interview with the Guardian, he says: "The war going on in this country for more than 60 years could have ended a long time ago. But both sides are giving into extremists and fundamentalists. The occupation was supposed to be temporary, but now no one speaks of it ending."

The Israeli state, he adds, keeps people "under our control" without democratic rights. Palestinians are subject to "collective punishment" for the actions of a few.

Most Israelis grow up knowing that compulsory military service – three years for boys, two for girls – lies at the end of their school days. "Going to the army" is a deeply ingrained, collective experience in Israeli national identity.

For some, it's an eagerly-anticipated patriotic duty; for others, a rite of passage; for a few, a difficult moral dilemma. But it is rare for people to refuse on grounds of conscience. Blanc says that since November, he has been the only conscientious objector among the 300-400 inmates in Military Prison Number 6.

Most of his friends have come to accept his position – "we had the arguments a long time ago" – and some who are currently serving as combat soldiers now say they admire it. His parents, despite some anxiety, are supportive.

Blanc rejected the option taken by some objectors of claiming a medical condition that would exempt him from military service. "I didn't want to lie. This is a point of principle."

Neither could he seek exemption of the grounds of pacifism. "The army has a narrow definition of pacifism – someone who would never apply force in any circumstances. The [IDF's] conscience committee asks tough questions, and I would not be able to say never. I think force should be used rarely, but it can't be completely ruled out."

Blanc is willing to undertake national service in lieu of the compulsory stint in the army, but thus far the military has refused to countenance this.

In a statement, the IDF said it could not comment on Blanc's specific case, but conscription was a result of Israel's security situation. Although there were limited grounds for exemption, those called up were "fully aware of their responsibilities towards the military and the consequences for failing" to carry them out.

Blanc hesitates when asked if he would describe himself as a patriot. "I feel a strong connection to this country, and I'm proud of it in many ways. But I have an aversion to nationalism."

Prison life has taken some adjustment. Blanc, who shares a tent with around 20 other prisoners, is woken for roll call around 5am and works eight hours a day in the kitchen. The inmates, who wear surplus US military uniforms, can make calls on a public phone but are forbidden to keep their mobiles. There is a prison library, but no gym.

"I have no idea how long this will go on for," said Blanc. "The bad scenario is that I will be put in front of a military court and sentenced to something like a year in prison. The better scenario is that they'll get tired of this, and will let me do national service instead."

It is hard for Blanc to see beyond the game of cat-and-mouse in which he and the IDF are currently engaged, but he says: "I don't want to deal with politics and conflict all my life." He would like to study science or technology at university.

He brushes aside a suggestion that his current stance could harm his future prospects. "I'm proud of what I'm doing. I may have caused some damage to my future, but it's minor compared to the principle at stake."

Brighton Expresses its Support for Demonstration calling for a Council Boycott and Divestment from Israel

Israel’s War Crimes Shows Its Utter Contempt for International Law

On a sunny Sunday lunchtime, some 250-300 people rallied outside Brighton Town Hall to listen to speeches and a march to Hove Town Hall. The occasion was the launch of a campaign to persuade Brighton & Hove Council, the first in the country controlled by a (minority) Green Party administration to institute a boycott of Israel.  Proposed by Cllr. Ben Duncan, who was forced to resign from the Green Party for calling the British Army ‘hired killers’ (what else are they? social workers?) Ben has been one of the few Green Party councillors (now an Independent) to remain committed to direct action. However it is difficult to see the Labour or Tory groups supporting the proposal, which is due to come to the Council in October. Ben was also the second speaker at the march.

The best speech was also the first speech, by Canon Paul Ostreicher, a refugee from Germany in 1938 because of his Jewish heritage. Paul has devoted his life to fighting for peace (a non-sequitur!) being Chair of British Amnesty, expelled from the Church Peace Council for criticisms of the Soviet Union among his other notable achievements. He was ordained as a Deacon in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1959 and retired as canon of Coventry Cathedral in 1998. He now lives in Brighton and made a fiery speech pointing out that the ANC and all liberation movements were called ‘terrorist’ and defending the right of any oppressed people to take up arms.

The march was a local one but despite that was larger than the Zionist one last week which was a national one. At Hove Town Hall we listened to more speeches, including one from the local PSC Secretary Barry, before dispersing. Some people joined PSC members in taking part in an action against the Robert Dyas shop in nearby George Street, Hove which stocks Sodastream products. Barry laid heavy emphasis on our victory in closing the Sodastream shop in Brighton, despite a vigorous Zionist campaign to keep it open.

Just a couple of criticisms or observations. Although the demonstration was a healthy size, it was smaller than past demonstrations on Gaza. Last time, during Operation Cast Lead 1,500 people marched through Brighton. The missing factor was members of the local Arab and Muslim community. This was an omission that needs to be rectified. PSC has always been able to tap into existing networks of Palestinians and Arabs and we need to think carefully about why that didn’t happen this time.

Secondly, despite having a Jewish Chair, Mike W, there was no speaker from a Jewish anti-Zionist or even non-Zionist organisation, again for the first time I can remember. At a time when Israel claims its actions are on behalf of all Jews everywhere this is an important omission and should not be the subject of sectarianism. One of the main features of recent demonstrations nationally have been the presence of a large Jewish bloc and we know from the Sodastream demonstration that the Zionists find it difficult to explain away the existence of Jewish opponents. I’m thinking of groups like Jews 4 a Just Peace for Palestinians, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods and the Jewish anti-Zionist Network. This is at a time when British Jews are showing that they are not interested in rallies supporting Israel’s barbarities. For the first time ever, the Zionist Board of Deputies of British Jews has not even attempted to organise a ‘rally in support of Israel’. Last time just 5,000 answered the call unlike in previous years when up to 25,000 turned out.

End EDO,  Brighton's Arms Factory, speaker

However overall the energy and commitment of those who did turn out for the demonstration was commendable and if Israel’s attacks continue and intensify we need to seriously consider a major demonstration on a Saturday.
Tony Greenstein

Brighton Town Hall