My name is Yuval, I’m 27 years old and in 2013 I refused to join the Israeli army. Nowadays I am a steering committee member and responsible for social media in Mesarvot, an Israeli network that supports refusers to military service. I want thank you all for your support! Thanks to you we succeeded in our campaign to raise money to increase our visibility, which means that we can spread the refusers’ voice louder throughout the Israeli society. Please answer this short survey to let us know how else you’d be interested to help our work.
Yuval Gal Cohen
It is a lonely and not an easy experience to be a draft refuser in Israel. In the Israeli society, the Israeli occupation and refusal to serve in the army are taboo topics, and the refusal to serve is perceived as betrayal. This hostility towards us is harsh and we are constantly under attack by the political right. It was heartwarming and exciting for us to get such support from around the world. Your solidarity is truly helpful in sustaining and developing our activity within Israel. Going forward, we would love for you to be involved in our activities. There are many ways you can support Israeli conscientious objectors, even from your own home. Please fill up this survey to share with us your thoughts and ideas.
During our Campaign last month a ultranationalist right-wing settlers organization sent a letter to officials in Israel asking them to stop our work. They claimed that because we support refusers we are an illegal organization and the government should shut our activity down. They try to shut us down, delegitimize and divide us from the anti-occupation movement. I was a part of the team that worked on that campaign and I can tell you that I was terrified. I was terrified because this is not only a threat to our work in general and an in-person threat to all Israeli refusers, but also a threat to our freedom as citizens to criticize our governmental policy, especially when horrible war crimes have been legitimized for decades. However, it also shows that even though we are a small network, our work is important and we do influence the Israeli society, and pose a real threat to the settlers.
The right wing is scared of us and this is why they try to shut us down. That is the power of civil resistance, that is the power of refusing. With your help we can now reach more people, raise our voice so everyone knows about the Israeli occupation, and everyone knows that they have the option to refuse. We would love for you to become an active member of our community in any way you like. Please answer this short survey to share with us the ways you are interested in getting involved in our work.
The support we got from you is a reflection for us of how much people care about our work and how important it is. Let's continue working together to make sure no refuser is left alone.
In solidarity,
Yuval