Hundreds of “Israelis” Refusing Military Service

By Staff, Agencies

Hundreds of “Israeli” high school students have announced that they will refuse to serve in the military in protest against the policies of the incumbent far-right administration, including the so-called “judicial overhaul”.

In a statement released at the “Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium” high school in central "Tel Aviv", “Youth Against Dictatorship”, also explicitly tied their cause to opposition to the oppression of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.

“As young women and men about to be conscripted into ‘Israeli’ military service, we say NO to dictatorship in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We hereby declare that we refuse to join the military, until democracy is secured for all,” read the statement.

“Violent settlers now control the entire affairs. These are not recent developments. Undemocratic attitudes and actions are essential to maintaining this regime of occupation and Jewish supremacy. The only thing that has changed is that the mask is now off. Faced with this reality, we say NO!”

While there have been previous cases of “Israeli” settlers protesting by rejecting military service, this is the first time that 230 students have coordinated their refusal to serve as a specific way of challenging the policies of the current cabinet.

This comes as European embassies in Tel Aviv record an unprecedented increase in the number of “Israelis” applying for a passport or an immigration visa in recent months.