Last month, we were excited to bring the news of over 130 army reservists publishing an open letter threatening to refuse military service unless the Israeli government concedes to an immediate hostage deal and ceasefire to end the war. War-time refusal in Israel at this scale is rare, unseen in decades. Now, the threat of a growing refuser movement is felt more than ever. The Israeli government feels the heat, and is threatening to arrest and prosecute the reservists. We are ready to back these refusers against retribution so that our movement continues to grow, and are ready to provide legal aid and assistance as we have done countless times in the past. Help us provide legal aid and assistance to protect this refuser wave against this impending backlash.
"[The letter published by the 130 reservists] needs to be suppressed with all the force and with what the law allows.” These are the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reported widely across the Israeli press just last week. Yet another Israeli government minister is calling for the letter’s signatories to be jailed immediately. As our collective movement grows, the Israeli state knows that it holds the potential to grow and cripple the military by force, and it is now responding. Since the letter’s release, nearly 35 more Israeli soldiers have come forth and joined the valiant call to refuse service.
The Israeli military’s daily operations depend on reservists. They are the fighter pilots that drop American bombs on the Gaza Strip, the intelligence and logistics that make it all possible behind the scenes. The Israeli military cannot carry out its wars without them. That is why our movement is so potent: war refusal can bring the country to a standstill, no less. Historically, this is how wars are stopped in Israel.
Real opposition to the war is becoming de facto illegal in Israel right now. Palestinian citizens of Israel are regularly imprisoned for sharing posts to social media daring to even sympathize with Palestinians in Gaza. Protesters are met with police violence. We need to protect refusal as the most formidable avenue to end this war now.
If we let the government succeed, our movement is at risk. We are at a critical juncture: if we stave off the threats against the refusers, more will be encouraged to join and refuse service as well. We need our global network to stand behind us in this utterly decisive moment. Please consider donating to allow us to support refusers with legal aid.