Dear friends,
I’m happy to share with you the knowledge that after serving 88 days in military jail for refusing to enlist in the Israeli military I finally received my exemption! This has been a long journey that started years before I was supposed to enlist. Since I was a young girl I knew I would not take part in the injustice of the Israeli occupation ofthe Palestinian territories. This was evident in my life during high school where I stood my ground in arguments with my peers, in my active participation in Mesarvot’s youth group and in refusing to participate in workshops and training which Israeli youth must take in preparation for army life.
Congratulate Shahar on receiving an exemption!
Going in and out of jail in the last few months has definitely been hard, but there was no way I was going to change my mind, no matter how long my prison sentence. Before going to jail I heard from older refusers how lonely it was in prison and how disconnected you feel from the outside world - which turned out to be very true - but what was really amazing is how supported I felt because of you! All of your letters and kind words changed my world every time I was released home for a few days because it showed me that there are many people around the world who care for this place and who want to help us end the occupation. It showed that my act of refusing is meaningful in shedding light on the oppression of Palestinians and that it travels across the world. It shows that if enough Israelis do the same we could stop this appartheid system.
Although I am out of prison, our struggle is far from over. Just a few weeks ago the Sallehiya family lost its home in Sheikh Jarrah when it was demolished by Israeli authorities. They were tossed into the street in the middle of the night in winter. Many more Palestinian families are at risk of losing their homes, and one of them is the Salem family. As part of the weekly demonstrations against these heinous acts towards the residents of Sheikh Jarrah, I went together with many other activists to the Salem family residence, where settlers had put up fences around the house and the police put up roadblocks over the settler’s fences. We smashed the fences and roadblocks and continued our protest around the neighborhood. We will continue to do everything within our power to make sure these families will keep their homes, and to make sure all discriminatory acts against Palestinians stop. For that to happen we need more Israelis with us.
That is why now that I’m out of prison my plan is to continue my peace activism and make sure more youth learn about the consequences of taking part in the military system. Everyone deserves to be free like me.
In solidarity,
Shahar