Ometz Le'sarev
Encyclopedia
Ometz LeSarev is an organization of reserve officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) who refuse to serve beyond the 1967 borders, but "shall continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel's defense." These conscientious objector
s refer to themselves as refuseniks a reference to the refusenik
Jews of Soviet Russia.
The movement began as a nucleus of 51 reserve officers and soldiers, who in January 2002 published an ad in the Israeli daily Haaretz
, which would later come to be known as "The Combatants' Letter". Three years later the number of signatories had reached well over 600.
At first, the IDF responded by sentencing any refusenik who refused to serve in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
to jail. Seeing that this was not a deterrent, and only raised awareness of refusal within the populace, it has stepped down its efforts, and has simply stopped calling on the refuseniks, or sending them to alternate duties within the 1967 borders, meaning, those borders that existed prior to the 1967 Six-Day War
.
There are differing opinions in the Israel
i public regarding the organization. The right wing opposes the movement up to calling their activity a treason
during wartime and claim that their refusal encourage the Palestinians to step up suicide bombings in order to break the Israeli society.
The left wing, which opposes the occupation, is split between those who see refusal as a legitimate political tool, and those who believe that it is unlawful and only serves to undermine the IDF's and the Israeli peace camp standing within the populace.
Israeli left-wing activist professor Amnon Rubinstein
has warned that the refusal to serve by soldiers on the left could encourage the refusal by soldiers on the right to remove Israeli settlements.
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF) who refuse to serve beyond the 1967 borders, but "shall continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel's defense." These conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
s refer to themselves as refuseniks a reference to the refusenik
Refusenik
Refusenik originally referred to citizens of the former Soviet Union who were refused permission to emigrate.Refusenik or refusnik may also refer to:*An Israeli conscientious objector, see Refusal to serve in the Israeli military...
Jews of Soviet Russia.
The movement began as a nucleus of 51 reserve officers and soldiers, who in January 2002 published an ad in the Israeli daily Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
, which would later come to be known as "The Combatants' Letter". Three years later the number of signatories had reached well over 600.
At first, the IDF responded by sentencing any refusenik who refused to serve in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
to jail. Seeing that this was not a deterrent, and only raised awareness of refusal within the populace, it has stepped down its efforts, and has simply stopped calling on the refuseniks, or sending them to alternate duties within the 1967 borders, meaning, those borders that existed prior to the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
.
There are differing opinions in the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i public regarding the organization. The right wing opposes the movement up to calling their activity a treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
during wartime and claim that their refusal encourage the Palestinians to step up suicide bombings in order to break the Israeli society.
The left wing, which opposes the occupation, is split between those who see refusal as a legitimate political tool, and those who believe that it is unlawful and only serves to undermine the IDF's and the Israeli peace camp standing within the populace.
Israeli left-wing activist professor Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein
Amnon Rubinstein is an Israeli law scholar, politician, and columnist. A member of the Knesset between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions. He is currently dean of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and a patron of Liberal International.-Early life:Rubinstein was born...
has warned that the refusal to serve by soldiers on the left could encourage the refusal by soldiers on the right to remove Israeli settlements.
The refusenik letter
- We, reserve combat officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who were raised upon the principles of Zionism, sacrifice and giving to the people of Israel and to the State of Israel, who have always served in the front lines, and who were the first to carry out any mission, light or heavy, in order to protect the State of Israel and strengthen it.
- We, combat officers and soldiers who have served the State of Israel for long weeks every year, in spite of the dear cost to our personal lives, have been on reserve duty all over the Occupied Territories, and were issued commands and directives that had nothing to do with the security of our country, and that had the sole purpose of perpetuating our control over the Palestinian people. We, whose eyes have seen the bloody toll this Occupation exacts from both sides.
- We, who sensed how the commands issued to us in the Territories, destroy all the values we had absorbed while growing up in this country.
- We, who understand now that the price of Occupation is the loss of IDF’s human character and the corruption of the entire Israeli society.
- We, who know that the Territories are not Israel, and that all settlements are bound to be evacuated in the end.
- We hereby declare that we shall not continue to fight this War of the Settlements.
- We shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people.
- We hereby declare that we shall continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel’s defense.
- The missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this purpose – and we shall take no part in them.
External links
- Ometz Le'Sarev Homepage
- Refusing for Israel English Language Homepage
- Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: Media & the Israel-Palestine Conflict, documentary directed by Sut Jhally and Bathsheba Ratzkoff (2003) quotes Major Stav Adivi of Ometz Le'sarev