refusenik

Udi Segal (right) arrives with supporters to an IDF induction base. The sign says, 'Refuseniks Against the Occupation' (Photo courtesy of 'Refuseniks Against the Occupation'

Jailed Israeli conscientious objector starts hunger strike

Udi Segal, who refuses to enlist in the IDF due to its human rights violations in the occupied territories, declares he will go on hunger strike until his release from military prison. By Yael Marom Israeli conscientious objector Udi Segal, who announced his refusal to join the Israeli army three months ago, was sentenced to…

By +972 Magazine November 1, 2014

Druze conscientious object Omar Sa'ad performs outside the Tiberias induction base. (photo: Activestills)

Druze conscientious objector Omar Sa’ad released from military service

Six months after he was sentenced to his first prison term for refusing to join the IDF, Druze conscientious objector Omar Sa’ad was released from military service on Wednesday. Sa’ad, an 18-year-old violist from the northern village Maghar, was sentenced to his first term on December 5th, 2013 in the Tiberias induction base. Since then, he…

By Edo Konrad June 19, 2014

Uriel Ferera walking out of military jail after serving his first sentence. (photo: Ruty Ferera)

IDF denied draft refuser letters, access to his lawyer

‘The sergeant told him that he cannot make a call because he is a military prisoner, and that he cannot use the phone because he didn’t wear his hat on time,’ Ferera’s lawyer says. By Daniel Beller Uriel Ferera, the young Orthodox conscientious objector who was sentenced to military jail for refusing to join the…

By +972 Magazine May 21, 2014

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Yair Lapid (photo: Yotam Ronen / activestills.org)

How can you tell that Israeli refuseniks are scaring the system?

From talk show hosts to Finance Minister Yair Lapid, the new conscientious objectors are infuriating Israel’s elite. By Moriel Rothman This week, a group of 50+ Israeli high schools students and youth penned a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu declaring their refusal to enlist in the army as an act of protest against Israel’s 47-year old military…

By +972 Magazine March 13, 2014

Roni Lax, left, and Dafna Rotstein, two of the refuseniks who signed the letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu. (photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Israeli teens tell Netanyahu: We will not take part in occupation

Nearly 50 Israeli teenagers of draft age send letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating clearly that they will refuse to join the IDF due to the occupation of the West Bank, and the violent effect it has on Israeli society. Dozens of Israel teenagers signed a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Saturday, in which…

By Edo Konrad March 9, 2014

Layla Issawi, mother of the hunger striking Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, is seen in the Galilee town of Sakhnin during the Land Day demonstration, March 30, 2013. Land Day commemorates the death of six Palestinian protesters at the hands of Israeli forces during mass demonstrations in 1976 against plans to confiscate Palestinian land in northern Israel. (Photo by: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

From Land Day to prisoner solidarity: A week in photos

This week: commemorations of Land Day across Israel and the West Bank, solidarity marches in the South Hebron Hills, clashes ensue after a prisoner’s death, an Israeli draft refuser, and South Africans march for justice.

By Activestills April 4, 2013

Natan Blanc (courtesy of the family)

Are Israel’s refusers modern day heroes?

All facets of refusal may be instrumental in changing the conscription process and refusal to serve in the Israeli military is not always the outcome of opposing the Occupation. It takes courage and demands fortitude and wide support. By Ruth L. Hiller Different people refuse to enlist in Israel’s occupation army for a variety of reasons.…

By +972 Magazine March 13, 2013

"I hope my actions will inspire others". Yaniv Mazor

Refusenik sentenced to 20 days in prison on his birthday

Yaniv Mazor was sentenced this morning by his commander to twenty days in prison for refusing to fulfill his reserve service duties. ‘This is an army whose main purpose is the maintenance of the occupation regime imposed on millions of people on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip – and I cannot serve…

By Haggai Matar June 11, 2012

The four conscientious objectors (Compilation of Activestills pictures)

WATCH: Refusing to enlist in the IDF

“Only after the first time I went to the occupied territories did I realize that I could never be a part of the army.” -Alon Gurman, 19, from Tel Aviv. In March 2012, Alon Gurman and three other Israelis announced their decision to refuse to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, forming the first collective…

By +972 Magazine May 26, 2012

Refusing to serve the occupation: Noam Gur (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

The irony in arrest of conscientious objector Noam Gur

Noam Gur is sitting in a military prison for refusing to be drafted. If she was willing to pretend to be an Orthodox woman, she’d be home scot-free. Noam Gur, a conscientious objector, was imprisoned twice so far since refusing to serve in the IDF. She is likely to be tried and jailed again soon.…

By Yossi Gurvitz May 7, 2012

The four conscientious objectors (Compilation of Activestills pictures)

Four young Israelis refuse army draft in new refusenik wave

In the coming weeks, three young Israelis are expected to go to prison for their refusal to enlist in the Israeli army, and a fourth conscientious objector received an exemption from service yesterday. Together they form the first group of refuseniks in Israel in the past three years. These are their stories. Since December, I’ve…

By Haggai Matar March 22, 2012

An Ethiopian teen’s principled refusal to join the IDF

“Y.E.S. – Young Ethiopian Students” have published a letter from one of their readers, an 18-year-old about to join the IDF. The story of the Ethiopian community in Israel is one of the most profoundly shameful chapters in the history of the state, which deserves a separate post; but I will only say the Ethiopian…

By Dimi Reider May 14, 2011