Soldiers' petition: Keep fighting

Reserve troops who fought in Lebanon urge government to continue operations until abducted soldiers released

Hanan Greenberg|Published: 08.14.06 , 20:39

Reserve soldiers called up by the army to join the fighting in Lebanon began Monday to circulate a petition where they protest the fact abducted IDF soldiers in Lebanon have not yet been released.

The troops, who are just outside Lebanon at this time, already managed to get hundreds of signatures on the petition.

Yisrael Kasirar, one of the soldiers who initiated the petition, told Ynet:: "Reserve soldiers feel solidarity with the substance of the petition and it's circulating among many of them who are willing to sign it. The signing is taking place despite the current conditions, where reserve soldiers are spread across various areas in the north of the country."

The petition reads: "We, reserve soldiers who were called up for emergency duty, view with severity the acceptance of the ceasefire agreement in its current format, as a result of the abandonment of the abducted soldiers. We regret the fact that the fog of battle blurred the original war objectives we were enlisted for and the IDF values we were educated on. We're determined to complete the mission until the return of the abducted soldiers."

Kasirar says his comrades and him are willing to continue with reserve duty for many days and not come home until the mission is completed.

"We were in Lebanon, we fought in the Marjayoun region, our friends were killed and wounded, and we feel that the war objective was not achieved," he said, and added that initiators of the petition intend to forward it to as many reserve troops, including those currently in Lebanon.

'We didn't come to make fools of ourselves'

The purpose of the petition is to get as many troops to sign it, so it resonates among senior commanders, Kasirar said.

"We feel that a significant part of the Israeli public feels what we feel. We hope that despite the fact there's a ceasefire agreement someone will wake up and realize that this war mustn't be over with the abductees not coming back home," he said.

Itzik Ben-Naim, one of the troops who signed the petition, said: "We won't leave two of our comrades inside (Lebanon.) We didn't come to fight for the sake of playing. We didn't come to make fools of ourselves."

Ben-Naim, who saw a member of his regiment killed in battle, added the petition was not a political one.

"People are frustrated because the objectives were dissolved. It's important that we continue even just so the abductees' families know the soldiers haven't forgotten the values they were educated on."