Mesarvot (Hebrew: מסרבות, lit. 'We refuse') is an Israeli organisation supporting conscientious objectors in their total refusal to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The organisation exists since 2015 and provides a network for public attention and legal support of youth refusing to join the army and former conscientious objectors.
Activities
The organisation makes cases of youth that completely refused in the Israeli Defense Forces public and promotes public discourse on the topic, supports conscientious objectors legally and with media trainings, during imprisonment and provides community for young people who make the decision to refuse. The organisation supports hundreds of people every year. Usually, young people they support refuse to serve in the army to protest Israel's occupation of Palestinian territorires and to stand in solidarity with Palestinians.
Some notable cases that the organisation supported were the one of Tair Kaminer in 2016, the one of Aiden Katri, the first transgender woman to be jailed for her refusal to join the army in 2016, Noa Gur Golan, who was attacked together with her mother in 2017 in the right-wing tabloid newspaper Israel Hayom for her refusal, as well as the ones of Maya Brand-Feigenbaum and Adam Rafaelov in 2019, both of whom were imprisoned several times for their refusal to be stationed in the occupied territories. Mesarvot also supported the cases of Tal Mitnick and Sofia Orr, who were the first youth to refuse to enlist in the Israeli Defence Forces after the start of the Israel–Hamas war in October 2023 and who called for an immediate ceasefire as well as an international arms embargo on Israel.
Political positions
The organisation understands itself as feminist and criticizes patriarchal structures in the Israel Defense Forces as well as sexual harassment.
Mesarvot is part of the Anti-Occupation Bloc, an alliance of Israeli and Palestinian organisations advocating against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Mesarvot has staged a protest in Tel Aviv to mourn the killing of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh through the Israeli Defense Forces while reporting in the West Bank in 2022. The group participates in solidarity actions in the West Bank. In February 2023, the group joined protests against the eviction of Palestinian buildings in Masafer Yatta. Mesarvot has also participated in the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests and connected the planned judicial reform with the government's occupation policies.
References
- ^ Kaminer, Tair. "Israel: Weiblich-politische Verweigerung als feministische Aktion". Connection e.V. (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ Hallward, Maia; Tuschling, Lina (2020-09-01). "Opposition from within – Israeli soldiers resist the occupation". Global Change, Peace & Security. 32 (3): 246–247. doi:10.1080/14781158.2020.1797659. ISSN 1478-1158.
- ^ Thakker, Prem (2024-01-08). "Israeli Refuseniks Forsake Army Despite Post-October 7 Nationalist Frenzy". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- "14 May '24 – Infotalk: Refusing Military Service in Israel and anti-occupation activism (verhuur*) – Theater De Generator" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- "Israeli transgender activist asks to go to women's prison". The Times of Israel. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- Marom, Yali (2017-11-19). "Israel Hayom's new target: Conscientious objector's mother". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- Staff, Toi (28 December 2023). "Teen sent to military prison over draft refusal; cited 'revenge campaign' in Gaza". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- Thakker, Prem (2024-05-09). "Israeli Military Refusers Appeal to Biden: "Stop Arming Israel's War"". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- Segalov, Michael (2024-01-23). "'More killing won't bring back lost lives': Tal Mitnick, 18, on going to prison instead of joining IDF". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-01.