‘The army has become messianic’
JVL Introduction
For some Israelis, serving in their country’s military is becoming too much to stomach.
Even though most of the mainly young people interviewed in the article below still feel the loyalty to Israel they were brought up with, to its citizenry and even to its armed forces, their willingness to be part of the current war is cracking under the weight of a growing sense of betrayal. Netanyahu’s government has given up on the hostages held in Gaza, the futility of the destruction Israel is wreaking cannot be ignored, and growing corruption and far-right messianism is taking over large parts of the IDF.
Liza Rozovsky’s interviews also reveal signs of a humanity notably absent from the grotesque revelling in Palestinian anguish too often exhibited by Israeli military personnel, as evidenced in Al-Jazeera’s recent war crimes investigation. None of the soldiers depicted there can be imagined uttering the words: “it’s impossible to enter Gaza and not feel the human suffering.”
NWI
This article was originally published by Ha'aretz on Wed 9 Oct 2024. Read the original here.
'This Isn't a Country I'll Sacrifice My Life For': Why 130 Israeli Soldiers Are Refusing to Serve
Physically and mentally exhausted from the war, appalled by what they see as a far-right spirit sweeping the army, and feeling anger at the abandonment of the hostages, 130 reservists and conscripts say they will no longer report for duty if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to strike a deal with Hamas
Loading article text…
As I read this article my anger grew with every sentence.. over half way through before any mention of Palestinians and Gaza and then to mention only the most recent violence was affecting the soldiers interviewed as if there was justification for the years before.. my cynicism over Israel has grown over the decades I admit BUT I got the feeling it’s the duration and the fact the majority of IDF are enjoying the feeling of superiority and power over Palestinians that has affected these few Israelis rather than the ideology of Zionism & the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, one of the “Israeli” came from US at 18 for a year and stayed bringing his family which rather suggests the previous level of violence and ethnic cleansing wasn’t an issue for him , no doubt because he didn’t feel reviled by most of the people on the planet.. as you can tell I’m still angry..
There is hope
If there is any justice in the universe those righteous Israelis who refuse to obey the dictates of hate will come to be honored as the redeemers of humanity.
I’m grateful to this group for their extremely difficult decisions to listen to their consciences. Some will have relatively clean hands, others not; but in each instance they’re now TRYING to live as decent human beings despite their circumstances. What they’re doing is brave. Netanyahu and his allies will do their outrageous best to sink these protests before more IDF soldiers join the 130.
At long last a case has has been filed in the Netherlands to prosecute 1,000 named IDF soldiers for (strongly evidenced) war crimes in Gaza. Please see https://www.palestinechronicle.com/unprecedented-rights-group-files-icc-case-against-1000-israeli-soldiers-for-war-crimes-in-gaza/ .
That article says that amongst the 1,000 IDF soldiers alleged to have committed war crimes, 3 are from the UK; 2 from the Netherlands; 12 from France ; 12 from Canada; and 12 from the USA.
Arrest warrants for war crimes are valid for the whole of alleged offenders’ lives, I believe. As the IDF soldier now on trial in Morocco has discovered, alleged offenders who take a holiday or visit relatives abroad are at risk of arrest as soon as they leave Israel.
Now prosecutions for recent war crimes seem to be underway it’s to be hoped IDF soldiers and their senior officers will better comply with international law.
I agree with Cathy Davies. None of these refuseniks speak of Israel’s sheer inhumanity; nor of the theft of land from the Palestinians and blatant colonisation. There is a sense in Israeli jews, and many jewish people here, of entitlement (and superiority), and a willing lack of interest in how that entitlement affects another society (the Palestinians).
A “New Arab” site update to that case before the Dutch courts … the site quotes a “Jerusalem Post” 7 March saying Israel’s Prime Minister MAY cancel a scheduled visit to the Netherlands for fear of arrest. Reda – the Dutch lawyer presenting the case – has called for Herzog’s arrest upon his arrival.
“The [legal complaint before the court] is 428 pages long and includes the names of senior commanders and pilots in the Israeli army.
[Reda] said the 30 March movement intends on prosecuting the soldiers, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THEM WHO HOLD DUAL NATIONALITIES “.