Is It Courageous to Refuse?

This came out on YouTube during the recent Operation Cast Lead, led by the Israeli Defense Force on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It is a video of a demonstration, in Tel Aviv, titled “The Courage to Refuse,” following news that the IDF might be calling army reservists back to the service to help out in the military operation. A bunch of Israelis protested against going back to the service and against the war in general.

 

 

 

It might be absurd at first to see this. After all, it is your duty as a citizen to defend your country. Many commentators on YouTube said the same thing.

The more I replayed this video, however, the more I began to admire these Israelis, many of which are young. As a “refusenik” mentions, there are consequences to this action: court martial and possible jail time, not to mention societal pressure and accusations of un-patriotism. Yet, they willingly take on this risk. They act on what they believe is right and wrong.

It is courageous to refuse war, wherever it may be. It is courageous to refuse killing, bombing, any human suffering. Sometimes, it takes more guts to refuse than to conform and join. I searched on YouTube and from my notes during Operation Cast Lead for a protest by Muslims against the killing of Israeli civilians. I searched for a protest against Hamas. I found none. Living in an Arab and Muslim country for most of my life, I don’t find that surprising. I know that my Muslim fellows will immediately object to this statement, saying that the civilian killing committed by Hamas doesn’t compare at all to that done by the IDF, and that is true. The facts support this claim and the brutality of the recent military operation is evident for those who want to see it.

A civilian dead is a civilian dead anywhere, nevertheless. If anything, no-one other than victims of killing can understand the pain and suffering of losing someone dear. There should be an opposition to any war; any bomb unleashed by the IDF and any rocket fired by Hamas. All those who kill civilians must be held accountable, no exceptions. That is courageous.  

 

Note: The phrase “Courage to Refuse” first appeared in Israeli society in 2002, with the “Combatant’s Letter” that was signed by 50 reserve soldiers, refusing to serve beyond the 1967 borders following their duty in Gaza. There are 628 signatures today. You can check this out on the website

http://www.seruv.org.il/English/default.asp

 

Israeli Consul General at New York University

On Monday February 9, 2009, the Israeli Consul General in New York, Asaf Shariv, paid a visit to New York University, in an event organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) of NYU.  There had been a big fuss about the outcome of the Israeli elections this year, with close competition between Kadima, led by Tzipi Livni, and the Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Shariv had come to give his opinion.

 

The majority of the 40-some audience at the King Juan Carlos Center was young, between 18 and 30 years old. After half an hour to 45 minutes, the floor was opened for questions from the audience. A young female NYU student, and a member of the AJC, stood up to ask the Consul General about what she sees as indifferent Israeli youth towards politics in Israel, especially compared to the recent mobilization of many young Americans for the latest Presidential Elections.

 

I found this question particularly surprising. My perception has always been that Israelis are very much involved in politics. During Operation Cast Lead, the recent military action led by the Israeli Defense Force on Hamas in the Gaza strip, I read many comments on Israeli newspapers online posted by Israelis and Jews. Even on the English version of Al Jazeera website, many of the readers’ comments came from Israelis and Jews, all around the world, admirably voicing their opinions and views. There is no doubt in my mind that the majority of these commentators are young. On the website YouTube, videos of demonstrations in Israel for and against the war on Gaza showed large numbers of youth who were not the least bit indifferent. Among my Israeli acquaintances and friends, politics has always been a topic of conversation.  

 

The Consul General’s response was, “We don’t have a Barack Obama.” His more important point, however, was that some people are fed up with politics in general. Many young people in Israel, he said, are more concerned about selling their internet start-up companies than politics. The bottom line was, people are moving on.

 

An Israeli friend once told me that Tel Aviv is sometimes referred to as “the bubble,” with people tanning on its sandy beaches as the Lebanon War was in mid-heat in 2006. Hamas and Hezbollah rockets rarely have the parabola or the speed to reach many parts of Israel. I thought about this as I heard this lady’s question. I suppose people can get detached in some parts of the country. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

 

I wondered if this could be the case for some Palestinian youth. My gut feeling tells me it’s not, but that is another topic of discussion.