Shministim

In Israel, there is a group of young adults who are refusing to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. On December 18th, they (at least, the ones not in jail) delivered all the signatures that they collected that asked the Minister of Defense to release these conscientious objectors go free. The letter that they collected signatures on is here:

I support the Shministim and their right to peacefully object to military service. I call for the release of those teenagers who have been jailed for their principled refusal to serve in an army which occupies the Palestinian Territories. The imprisonment of these conscientious objectors is a violation of their human rights and contrary to International Law.

I am inspired by these caring students and their counterparts in Palestine, whose nonviolent resistance to the Occupation points the way to a just peace and security for all people in the region. They are our best hope for the future. I urge you to heed them, and not punish them.

You can go and sign the letter here.

Here is a bit from an email that reports on what happened yesterday:

The Day of Action had already attracted welcome attention: a front page article this morning in Haaretz, a moving statement of solidarity from U.S. Army war resisters, and a strongly worded statement of support from Amnesty International.

When we arrived, the first thing we saw was box after box after box after box lined up on the street. These were the letters and postcards that had been generated by the international campaign, over 20,000 in total.

US service members who have refused to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan wrote a statement in support of the Shministim. That article is here.

I read a report on these young Israeli resisters on The Global Report radio show - I don't know if it made it on the air, but you can read The Global Report website here, and the article is under 'commentary'. And here is a short video on the Shministim: