Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says the war in Gaza will last for months. A majority of people in Israel still seem to support it. But some young Israelis refuse to serve in the military.
A roof terrace in Tel Aviv, red flags blowing in the wind: it is the house of a communist party. Ido Eilam meets friends here. They reject war.
“If I am against the occupation, against the war in Gaza, if I want to live in peace, I have to refuse military service,” says Eilam. “Otherwise this bloodshed will continue forever.”
In eleven months he will have to do military service in a barracks near Tel Aviv. The date for this has already been set. But the 17-year-old wants to refuse service – for reasons of conscience. This is not the case in Israel.
Military service as a unifying element
Most Jewish Israelis are drafted at the age of 18. Men typically serve for two and a half years and women for two years. There are exceptions for religious reasons, for example. Many ultra-Orthodox Jews do not join the army. Just like most Arab Israelis. According to official army figures, a good two-thirds of men and more than half of women are called up.
Military service is the unifying element in society. For many young Israelis, defending their country comes naturally. Anyone who isn’t there quickly becomes an outsider. Eilam knows this; he gets a lot of hate on social networks.
“Some of these death threats come from random people,” he says. “I know some of them, for example from school. They call me an idiot, a traitor. That I’m ruining the country and should run away.”
Anyone who refuses will go to prison
Eilam’s friends and family are worried that his rejection of the army will also result in professional disadvantages. Because in Israel no army means no career. “Luckily, my family supports me a lot. I grew up in a very left-wing family,” says Eilam.
But his mother didn’t want him to refuse. “She wants me to try to get a certificate. That I’m unfit for psychological reasons, for example. She’s worried that I’ll have to go to prison. That’s no fun.”
Anyone who refuses is first arrested and then brought before a military court. This usually sends objectors to prison for a few weeks. Anyone who still doesn’t want to join the army ends up back in prison. Or a committee declares him or her unfit – for psychological reasons.
Eilam wants to be an example
Not everyone in the army fights in war. Many work in the office or are musicians, for example. Eilam plays bass. Friends advise him to just join an army band.
But for the 17-year-old, that’s out of the question. With his no, he also wants to set an example for others: “People who are against the occupation but have never thought about refusing will perhaps now think about it and join our fight.”
Changing the military from within seems hopeless to Eilam. In his eyes, leading military leaders are radical settlers. He calls Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ultra-religious and right-wing radical coalition partners “fascist.”
Only a few declare themselves publicly
His decision to refuse was already clear before the current war in Gaza. But now Eilam sees herself confirmed once again. “We have a war in Gaza almost every year and now this ground offensive – that has strengthened me again. I just can’t do it.”
In previous wars, it often happened that some active soldiers quit their service. Last summer, thousands of reservists announced that they would no longer come to the exercises voluntarily – in protest against the planned restructuring of the judiciary.
There are no official figures on how many people refuse military service in Israel for reasons of conscience. Very few declare themselves publicly. Media hardly reports about it. Saying no to the army is a taboo in Israel.
Björn Dake, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesschau, January 1st, 2024 9:25 p.m