e, the
undersigned young women and men, Jews and Arabs from all parts of the
country, hereby declare that we will toil against the occupation and
oppression policies of the Israeli government in the Occupied Territories,
and in the territory of the land of Israel, and therefore refuse to take
part in actions related to such policies, which are carried out in our
name by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
We are all community activists and contribute in various
ways to a variety of sectors in Israeli society. We believe that
contribution, cooperation and volunteerism are a way of life and should
not be limited to just two or three years. Our conscientious objection
stems directly from our volunteer experience, from the values we believe
in, from our love of the society that we are a part of and in which we
live, from our respect of every human being and from the aim of making our
country a better place for all of its inhabitants.
The occupation creates an unbearable actuality for the
Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The checkpoint policy, land
annexation, the building of the apartheid wall, paving of roads for
Israelis only, settlement projects and assassinations – all these have
been sowing destruction in the West Bank for over four decades. The siege
of Gaza and the prevention of importing materials, including basic food
products and humanitarian aid, undermine the basic minimal living
conditions of Gaza’s residents. We cannot tolerate such a reality.
The claim put forth by the spokespersons of the government
and the army, that the continuation of the occupation arises from security
reasons, has no substance. No country that has fought for its independence
has ever been defeated by military means. The suffering of the Palestinian
people and their subjugation is the cause of violent resistance. Israel’s
public will never be safe as long as the Palestinian nation is under
occupation. There is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict – only peace will ensure life and security for Jews and Arabs in
this country.
The Israeli government frequently boasts that Israel is
“the only democracy in the Middle East”. The occupation is a complete
contradiction to this claim. Can a government that controls the lives of
millions of people who did not take part in elections be called a
“democracy”? Can military rule of a civilian population be considered
anything other than a dictatorship?
The Israeli army claims that it is “the most ethical army
in the world”. However, time and again reality proves that occupation and
ethics cannot stand together. When young armed men are sent on policing
missions in the midst of occupied disenfranchised persons, when the
government attempts to repress the struggle of the disenfranchised for
independence by force – the stage is set for the injury of civilian
population and committing of war crimes. Those who carry out such actions
are not “exceptions” or “bad apples”. The occupation is the cesspool in
which such actions fester. The occupation has led the Israel army to
breach international treaties, UN decisions and recommendations of the
International Court and even Israeli law, time and again.
Settlement policy is racist in principle. In the name of a
messianic ideology it has created a reality of apartheid in the West Bank.
Disenfranchised Palestinians and privileged settlers live contrastive
lives side by side. Settlers participate in the election of the government
that administers their affairs while the Palestinians live under military
rule. Settlers enjoy social-security benefits and economic benefits while
Palestinians live a life of poverty and enslavement. Settlers are tried
under Israeli law in Israeli courts while Palestinians are tried at
military courts without the basic right of a fair proceeding. Any human
opposed to racism finds this reality repulsive and untenable.
There are those who claim that we are objectors although
the Israeli government is the most consistent objector – in objecting to
peace. The Israeli army is not a “defence force” but an aggressive
occupation force. The Israeli government does not extend an olive branch;
rather, it upholds violent nationalism.
The occupation is a continuous crime against Israeli
society. Employment of Palestinians under slave conditions in the Israeli
job market causes a deterioration of conditions for all workers in the
market and brings about a violation of their rights. Instead of investing
in social budgets, the Israeli government has been investing for more than
40 years in the building of villas and bypass roads in the settlements in
order to alter ground reality. The warped norms and the violence that
young soldiers confess to in the Territories have permeated the Green Line
and are expressed in a rise in violence and racism throughout Israeli
society.
Out of a sense of responsibility and concern for the two
nations that live in this country, we cannot stand idle. We were born into
a reality of occupation and many of our generation see this as a “natural”
state. In Israeli society, it is a matter of fact that at 18 every young
man and woman partakes in military service. However, we cannot ignore the
truth – the occupation is an extreme situation, violent, racist, inhuman,
illegal, non-democratic and immoral, that is life-threatening for both
nations. We that have been brought up on values of liberty, justice,
righteousness and peace cannot accept it.
Our objection to becoming soldiers of the occupation stems
from our loyalty to our values and to the society surrounding us and it is
part of our ongoing struggle for peace and equality, a struggle whose
Jewish-Arab nature proves that peace and coexistence is possible. This is
our way and we are willing to pay the price.
