A group of 62 Israeli high-school seniors declared Wednesday in a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that they would refuse to serve in the IDF because of what they termed the army’s “terror operations” in the territories, Israel Radio reported. The youths also called on other young Israelis to follow their example. The group, from various parts of the country, said security could only be won through diplomatic means. Education Minister Limor Livnat said in response that the signatories were a small group of youths “who do not distinguish between aggressor and victim.” She said most Israeli youths “recognize the righteousness of the nation’s path.” National Religious Party lawmaker Zevulun Orlev called the letter a “red flag.” He demanded that the youth’s educators “engage in soul-searching inorder to understand how we reached a state of affairs in which our youths are so alienated from their country”.
This is a transcript of the letter sent to Ariel Sharon:
“We the undersigned, youths who grew up and were brought up in Israel, are about to be called to serve in the IDF. We protest before you against the aggressive and racist policy pursued by the Israeli government’s and its army, and to inform you that we do not intend to take part in the execution of this policy.
We strongly resist Israel’s pounding of human rights. Land expropriation, arrests, executions without a trial, house demolition, closure, torture, and the prevention of health care are only some of the crimes the state of Israel carries out, in blunt violation of international conventions it has ratified.
These actions are not only illegitimate; they do not even achieve their stated goal – increasing the citizens’ personal safety. Such safety will be achieved only through a just peace agreement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian people.
Therefore we will obey our conscience and REFUSE to take part in acts of oppression against the Palestinian people, acts that should properly be called terrorist actions. We call upon persons our age, conscripts, soldiers in the standing army, and reserve service soldiers to do the same.”