Amidst a wave of refusal, during which thousands of Israeli soldiers issue statements of public refusal in protest of the Israeli government’s race to promote a cluster of anti-democratic laws, the conscientious objector Nave Shabtay Levin received an exemption from military service!
We are at a critical point for the refuser movement. Please make sure to share this link with everyone you know and to sign up for our updates so you can all become a part of our community.
Nave Shabtay Levin
Nave (19) received an exemption from the military after 7 months and 115 days of imprisonment. Nave first declared his refusal to enlist to the Israeli military last September, along with Einat Gerlitz, Shahar Schwartz and Evyatar Rubin, in protest of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories and the apartheid regime enforced by Israel over the Palestinians. All four were tried multiple times for their refusal to enlist and were sentenced to prison for months. The group received ongoing support from the Mesarvot network (Israeli support network for occupation refusers) since last summer and Nave is the last of the group to receive an exemption.
In a time of an unprecedented wave of refusal by reserve soldiers, it is important to note that Nave refused to enlist for mandatory service because of his understanding that there is no such a thing as a moral occupation or a moral occupying army. Once released he stated:
"As exciting as this refusal wave is, we need to remember that the fight against the occupation and capitalism is far from over. We have to continue our struggle, to fight to bring about the end of the occupation, the fall of capitalism and the liberation of Palestine."
We want to thank all of you, our international supporters, for showing solidarity with Nave and our struggle to end the occupation by conscientiously objecting to war crimes. It is important to remember we have strength in numbers. This is a time to get more people on our side. Please make sure to share this link and our updates with everyone you know so they can become a part of our community. These are crucial times and the bigger our community is the better support we can provide to the Israeli refusal movement.