Courage to Refuse
Israeli combatants 2002 letter of refusal and signatories.
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Created: Nov 01, 2009
Updated: Nov 05, 2009
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Courage to Refuse
Israeli combatants 2002 letter of refusal
- 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.
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Current signers number: 550
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| What is Courage to Refuse? | |
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David Zonshein replies: Courage to Refuse is a movement that has grown out of what the media referred to as The Combatants’ Letter – a letter which was first published on January 2002 and was since then signed by hundreds of combat reserve soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. The signers of the letter declare that they will not take part in any activity whose objective is to perpetuate the occupation, and hence they refuse to serve beyond the ’67 borders. Over 280 of the signers have served prison terms for their refusal to serve in the occupied territories. |
| Why are you refusing? | |
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Moshe Ingel replies: Because the activities we are told to carry out are immoral and have nothing to do with Israel’s security. On the contrary – they damage Israel’s security and constitute a threat to its very existence. Their sole purpose is to strengthen the settlements. For years a large, stable majority of the Israeli public has supported the evacuation of the settlements. The price Israel pays for occupying the territories and protecting the settlements is far greater than any benefit this brings. Today everyone knows that the settlements are destined to be evacuated, and that every extra day we spend there means further loss of life on both sides, continued damage to the economy, increased moral corruption and the erosion of Israel’s democratic character. |
| Refusing is illegal – how can you justify your act? | |
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Arik Diamant replies: The situation in the occupied territories nowadays is itself illegal. Israel defines itself as a democratic nation – and yet denies 3.5 million people, over a third of its population, the most basic civil rights. The occupied territories are paved with new roads that are restricted for Jews only. Road blocks, massive demolition of homes and other means of collective punishment are applied for Arabs only, as are the imprisonment of people for years without trial, the punishing of relatives rather than culprits, the limitation of the freedom of movement, extra-judicial executions and the list goes on. All these acts contradict democracy. We refuse in the name of democracy, because democracy means more than just majority rule. The democratic system is a full set of values, and these values preclude the items listed above. We refuse to be sent, “in the name of democracy”, to implement things that are so blatantly undemocratic. |
| And what would happen if everyone were to refuse to serve in the territories? | |
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Ori Rot-Levi replies: Then the occupation would end. The occupation is not a The Will of God. It is maintained by a few thousand people against the will of millions. We must emphasize again that we are all active combat reserve soldiers. We are not refusing to fight, and are not advocating that Israel’s security be neglected. |
| But in the meantime terrorists are blowing themselves up on Israel’s streets – what do you suggest? | |
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Youval Tamari replies: Palestinian terrorism is cruel and brutal. But if there is one thing the current Intifada has taught us, it is that terrorism cannot be beaten by force. At the moment the Israelis and Palestinians are caught in a vicious circle, where acts of terror and assassinations follow each other in an endless, bloody succession. It would be incredibly unwise to sustain this gridlock, which has already taken a heavy toll, killing thousands and injuring tens of thousands. The first step towards breaking the cycle is to minimize the friction and give both sides some hope. It takes a climate of total hopelessness for such hatred and disregard for human life to develop. We do not claim that leaving the territories will magically bring an end to the conflict, but it is preferable by far to staying there, because our being there fuels the hatred – and with it, the terror. No people in the world would be willing to live under occupation. From within clear boundaries, both geographical and moral, we would be able to defend ourselves much more efficiently, just as evacuating the “Security Zone” in south Lebanon has only served to improve our condition. |
| Would you justify soldiers who refused to evacuate settlements? | |
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Dror Lutzati replies: Not all refusals are similar. We are not automatically in favor of anyone’s right to refuse any order they don’t like. Each and every case must be looked at individually. Our refusal is intended to uphold values that lie at the foundation of the state of Israel. Israel defines itself as a democratic state. A refusal to evacuate settlements arises from values that are not part of the democratic agenda – for instance, the sanctity of land. We therefore oppose to this kind of refusal; although that does not necessarily mean that we think such refuseniks should be forced to act against their conscience. |
| While you refuse, your friends and comrades go on serving. How do you feel about that? | |
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Rami Kaplan replies: Very bad. Because we don’t want them to serve in the territories either. This is what we are fighting for. But we can’t do things that go against our conscience, harming millions of innocent people, simply because our friends do. |
| Why don’t you serve in the Territories, and simply refuse to carry out illegal orders, should you be given any? | |
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Youval Andorn replies: Because the illegality is built into the situation. From the moment that we, as soldiers and commanders cross the ’67 borders, we have no choice but to treat every human being as an enemy. We have no choice but to discriminate between Jews and Arabs. We have no choice but to take part in the occupation, which is immoral by definition. |
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Why Refusal to serve in the Territories is Zionism
Courage to Refuse was founded following the publication of The
Combatants Letter in 2002, by a group of 50 combat officers and
soldiers. The initiators of the letter, Captain David Zonshein and
Lieutenant Yaniv Itzkovits, officers in an elite unit, have served for
four years in compulsory service, and another eight years as reserve
soldiers, including long periods of active combat both in Lebanon and
in the occupied territories.
During their reserve service in Gaza, in the midst of the second Intifada, the two realised that the missions confided to them as commanders in the IDF had in fact nothing to do with the defence of the State of Israel, but were rather intended to expand the colonies at the price of oppressing the local Palestinian population. Many of the commands issued to them were, in fact, harmful to the strategic interests of Israel.
Like
all soldiers of the IDF, David and Yaniv were prepared to fight in
order to protect their families back home. In January 2002 it became
apparent to them that fighting in Gaza and in the West Bank would
achieve the opposite result: by obeying orders they would not be
protecting the lives of their dear ones. Although only young officers
at the time, David and Yaniv understood what is today widely
acknowledged by Israel's most decorated generals (including the current
IDF Chief of Staff): The Occupation poses a threat to the security of Israel.
Finally, it was the unbearable pain and suffering inflicted upon millions of innocent civilians in the name of the "settlements" that had lead them to draft one of the most shocking documents ever written about the IDF. Over the years, their statement came to be known as The Combatant's Letter.
In the letter, the soldiers pledge their ongoing commitment to the
security of Israel, but declare that they will take no part in missions
intended to prolong the occupation.
To date, 628 combatants from all units of the IDF and from all sectors of the Israeli society have signed the letter and have joined Courage to Refuse. The members of the movement, often called "refuseniks", continue to do their reserve duty wherever and whenever they are summoned, but refuse to serve in the occupied territories. They are not considering their personal benefit, but rather Israel’s safety and its moral character. Over 280 Members of Courage to Refuse have in fact been court martialed and jailed for periods of up to 35 days as a result of their refusal. It was the selflessness and determination of the members of Courage to Refuse that won a warm place for the movement in the hearts of many Israelis. Their act of self- sacrifice, their willingness to serve prison terms in order to voice their cry of distress opened the eyes of many who have been morally blinded by fears and pain of war and terrorism.
By and by, well-known public figures expressed their support to the members of Courage to Refuse. Hundreds of University Professors have signed support petitions,
and the word SERUV (the Hebrew word designating refusal), which a few
years ago was synonymous with treason, has won its place in the Israeli
political discourse as a legitimate and sound act of civil awareness.
Sami Michael, the reputed author and the acting chairman of the Israeli Association for Human Rights has gone as far as saying that refusing the occupation is, in fact, not only an act of morality, but is also the purest form of patriotism practiced in Israel today. According to a survey conducted by Yaffee Center for Strategic Studies, over 25% of all Israelis sympathize with our struggle and acknowledge our civil right and moral duty to refuse to serve the occupation. Courage to Refuse accepts new signatories every week. Its members, beyond refusing to serve in the occupied territories, take part in many demonstrations, cultural events and other activities of public education aimed to end the occupation and bring peace to Israel. |
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