Students say 'Yes' to IDF
Photo: AP
Students say ‘No’ to insubordination
New petition rejects earlier calls for military disobedience; students plan to present document to deputy defense minister
TEL AVIV - About 700 high school sophomores and seniors in northern Israel signed an anti-refusnik petition, to be presented to Deputy Defense Minister Ze’ev Boim on Monday.
The petition comes under the banner “We have another way because we don’t have another way, particularly when our land is burning.”
Student Petition
By Hanan Greenberg and Moran Zelikovich
A group of 250 highschoolers signs letter of refusal to be drafted “because of the occupation.”
Student representative Lahav Hadida, 17, said on Sunday students “would have not sent this letter, if we didn’t believe in it.”
“If many teenagers send letters protesting the refusnik phenomenon, the picture will look different.” Hadida said. “Soldiers will grow stronger.”
Two weeks ago - refusniks speak up
It has been about two weeks since the last refusnik letter was made public. The letter, which was signed by nearly 250 students and addressed to the prime minister, defense minister, and IDF chief of staff, declared the signatories’ refusal to join the military because of their objection to the occupation.
“We think military service is the moral right and duty of every Israeli citizen,” read a counter-petition made almost immediately thereafter; organized by 6 seniors from two different high schools in the greater Tel Aviv area.
The letter was signed by 250 students, too.
The newest letter reads: “we protest the ‘Seniors Letter’ sent by 250 students. We believe that the military does its best to defend Israeli citizens. We salute the soldiers who sacrifice themselves so that the same students who wrote the letter could walk around safely on Israeli streets.
“The military must be left out of the political debate. The military does not choose its tasks, but merely follows the orders of the diplomatic level,” the petition says
The letter continues: “we believe that the expression ‘occupation policy’ should not be used when describing the IDF, as the refusniks’ letter demonstrates. Therefore, the same refusnik policy is illegitimate and does not add any dignity to Israeli youths.”
Deputy Minister Boim told Ynet on Sunday: “to my delight, the students represent the majority and it is important to express that. It is important that the public does not fall for a group of extremists that discusses refusal.”
If the refusal issue gets a hold of Israeli youth, we can kiss the IDF goodbye,” he said.
