Hundreds of Israeli youths refusing military service over far-right cabinet’s policies

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 controversial judicial overhaul.

Youth Against Dictatorship, in a statement released at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium high school in central Tel Aviv, 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.

The students noted that the "dictatorship" that Palestinians in occupied territories have experienced "for decades" is now oozing into other regions and is "directed" against them. 

“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!”

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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.

The far-right cabinet's overhaul scheme, which some denounce as a "judicial coup," seeks to dispossess the Supreme Court of the power to overrule politicians' decisions. It also seeks to give the regime's politicians more say in the process of appointing judges to the court.

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“The statement makes the connection between the judicial overhaul and the occupation. Those promoting the overhaul in the Knesset are [Simcha] Rotman, [Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Bezalel] Smotrich, who are settlers,” said 16-year-old Ella Greenberg Keidar, referring to a number of far-right officials who have been pushing the controversial policies.

She added that the Israeli parliament's new legislation was enabling further construction in the occupied territories and further acts of “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.

“Beyond criticizing settlers and the settlements, we want to talk about the militarism of society that allows such a thing. In addition, the reform was designed to increase the oppression of women and immigrants,” she said.

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Some of the signatories said they had planned to refuse to serve even before the current far-right cabinet was formed, while others have consolidated their position in recent months.

Yuval Dag was the first person to be jailed since the new administration was formed, and the protests began in January.

Dag, who is 20, had taken the decision to refuse military service already, but decided to go public after the new far-right administration came to power.

“On the personal level, my attitude has changed - I felt there was an obligation to publicly refuse, in order to present a resistance to the blunt fascist discourse,” he added.

“In the general public, the slogan of 'I won’t be a soldier of Ben-Gvir' became acceptable, even in places where the occupation was not discussed, because now there is a demon on the other side,” the Israeli youth noted.

Dag served 64 days in military prison before he was released. “It was a difficult experience in prison... I hope more will refuse and that it will become more acceptable,” he said.

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Critics have accused prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the scheme to remain in power. They say he, who is on trial on several counts of corruption charges, is also attempting to use the scheme to quash possible judgments against him.

The protests have gained momentum since the end of July, when the Knesset passed the first bill of the overhaul plan, which restricted the Supreme Court's ability to declare the cabinet's decisions "unreasonable."

Earlier, several protests were launched in the military to denounce the far-right cabinet's policies. More than 10,000 reservist soldiers, including members of the elite intelligence unit 8200 and air force pilots, have said they would no longer show up for duty on a voluntary basis in protest.

Former politicians and members of the security establishment have also declared support for the boycott.

Former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv in July that the time had come “to decide on the suspension of volunteering for the reserves until the legislation is completely stopped.”

Former minister for military affairs and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon has also said that he “would have done the same” when commenting on reservists who stop their service.

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