May 15 - End the Occupation!
Human Being - 16.04.2003 12:25
May 15 International Conscientious Objectors' Day:
Free the Israeli Refuseniks! End the Occupation!
Join us on May 15, 2003 for a Rally and Press Conference in front of Israeli Consulates Internationally!
May 15 International Conscientious Objectors' Day:
Free the Israeli Refuseniks!
End the Occupation!
Join us on May 15, 2003 for a Rally
and Press Conference in front of
Israeli Consulates Internationally!
Israeli Conscientious Objectors proclaim, "We will no longer help to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people."
The Situation:
The U.S. war on Iraq and the escalating violence in Palestine are all part of the same ongoing war waged for economic gain and political control at the price of enormous human suffering. The conscientious objector movement links Palestinians, Israelis, Jewish Americans, youth, and the antiwar movement; uniting and strengthening our movement with the power of a young person's refusal to fight an unjust war.
Israeli reservists and high school seniors are refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories and oppress the Palestinian people. Some are refusing to serve in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) altogether. They have declared that they will no longer help to "dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people." Conscientious Objectors are being abused and imprisoned, with their democratic rights denied.
In Israel, six refuseniks will be tried in mid-April 2003 in front of a military court. They face three-year prison sentences. In addition, six new objectors have just recently been jailed.
On April 1, 2003, U.S. marine Stephen Funk publicly declared his conscientious objection to the war on Iraq, "I refuse to kill it is impossible to achieve peace through violence." Calls to the GI Rights Hotline have doubled since 2002.
The refusenik movement is growing and subsequently these peace activists are being treated with harsher and harsher consequences.
Their courage, their willingness to speak out publicly at great risk to themselves, has breathed new life into the Israeli peace movement. But conscientious objectors in Israel, the U.S. and throughout the world urgently need our support. Join us in sending a message to the Israeli and U.S. governments that we will not stand by while the brutality of occupation continues and those who call for peace are imprisoned.
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Join us, refuseniks and local peace activists, in bringing our petition to Israeli consulates on May 15, Conscientious Objectors' Day:
We demand, that all refuseniks be immediately freed! Some have been in jail for over 200 days and are now awaiting trial in a military court where they can be sentenced to prison for up to three years. Among them is Yoni Ben-Artzi, nephew of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We demand, that the IDF follow its own "black flag principle," which states that soldiers must not follow immoral orders, and accept objections on those grounds from soldiers.
We demand, that Israel recognize conscientious objection as a democratic right,
We declare, if there is ever to be a step in the direction of security and peace in Israel and Palestine, there must be a full and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Occupied Territories.
These actions in the United States have been sponsored by:
Revolution Youth, Yesh Gvul, A Jewish Voice for Peace, Global Exchange, International Solidarity Movement Support Group, Refusenik Parents' Forum, Refuser Solidarity Network
For Updates on the May 15th protest action, please visit:
www.refusersolidarity.net
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We also call on all peace and human rights activists to write the following officials and demand the immediate release of all refuseniks:
Ariel Sharon Israel Prime Minister
Phone: 011-972-2-670-5555
Fax: 011-972-2-566-4838, 011-972-2-670-5475
Email:  Webmaster@pmo.gov.il
Yossi Amrani
San Francisco Israeli Consul General
Phone: 415.844.7500
Fax: 415-844-7555
Email: sf@israeliconsulate.org
Shaul Mofaz
Israeli Minister of Defense
Fax: 011-972-3-6917915 or 011-972-3-6916940 or
011-972-3-6962757
E-mail: sar@mod.gov.il
Moshe Yaalon
Israeli Chief of Staff
Fax: 011-972-3-5695594
Menachem Finkelstein
Israeli Military Attorney General
Fax: 011-972-3-7376052Gil Regev
IDF, Head of Manpower Division
Fax: 011-972-3-5699400
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Please Endorse the Following Petition That Will Be Delivered to the Israeli Consulates on May 15th, International Conscientious Objectors' Day
Free the Refuseniks!
End the Occupation!
We the undersigned,
Demand, that all refuseniks be immediately freed!
Demand, that Israel recognize conscientious objection as a democratic right,
Demand, a full and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Occupied Territories.
Name:
Organization:
City and State:
Phone:
Email:
Petition sponsored by: Revolution Youth, Yesh Gvul, A Jewish Voice for Peace, Global Exchange, International Solidarity Movement Support Group, Refusenik Parents' Forum, Refuser Solidarity Network
(Please return all filled-out endorsements to Ben Eckstein at or to .)
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For More Information, Or to Help with the Organizing, Please Contact:
Revolution Youth
Ben Eckstein
Organizer
415.504.6301
revolutionyouth35@hotmail.com
Yesh Gvul
Ron Gerlitz
Organizer & Refusenik
ron_and_nurit@hotmail.com
A Jewish Voice for Peace
Mitchell Plitnick
Co-Director
510.465.1777
mitchell@jewishvoiceforpeace.org
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