“No Military Solution to a Political Problem”

Israeli teen refuses to enlist

(30.12.2023) I made the decision to refuse before the war. I made that decision, because I refused to take part in the IDF’s violent policies of oppression and apartheid and to be part of this endless cycle of bloodshed. I choose to refuse because there is no military solution to a political problem. And now, with the war that has become more apparent than ever. And so my refusal is more important to me than ever.

And I choose to refuse in a very public way in hope to reach the Israeli society especially young people to show them that refusing is an option and that peace is an option. The only option. Because there are 7 million Palestinians here and 7 million Israeli Jews here and no one is going anywhere.

Indeed, Israeli society is an extremely militaristic one and refusing is absolutely not an accepted thing. And I’m called a traitor. A self-hating Jew. I get wishes for me to be raped or killed.

And since the war started it has gotten worse. There has been a shift to the right and the right was already strong. So I’m worried. But it’s worth it. Because even if only one person is going to hear my words and they will make them think, then it’s worth it. And I’m willing to endure the consequences of that.

Video statement of Sofia Orr, published in Aljazeera, December 30, 2023. https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1741098999464013883

Keywords:    ⇒ Conscientious Objection   ⇒ Israel   ⇒ War