Israel: Updates to Noam Gur, Armo Naffa and catching deserters
(17.05.2012) This time we have a couple of brief updates
Noam Gur
Noam Gur was exempted from military service on the 14th of May, several days after she was released from prison. Prior to the discharge she was sentenced to an additional prison term of 15 days, but the prison sentence will no be implemented.
Noam is now no longer in risk of further imprisonment. She wishes to thank you again for you support.
Armo Naffa
The Israeli Police arrested 18-year-old, Armo Naffaa from the Palestinian town of Bit Jan in northern Israel, after he refused conscription. Armo Naffaa is a member of the Druze religious community, whose male members are conscripted to the Israeli army. He continues a tradition of Druze refusal to join a military that fights an ethnic war against their own, Palestinian, people. Arab Druze Follow-Up Committee issued a press release saluting “the humanitarian and patriotic stance of Naffaa’ who chose imprisonment over being part of an army of occupation".
IDF is searching for refusers
Last week, the Israeli news outlet Ynet reported on a large-scale search for 4500 refusers and soldiers gone AWOL. Most of them will be sent to prison. If caught, many are likely to be marred with a criminal conviction (...more). This is a good opportunity to remind us all, that the declared ideological refusers, on whose cases we report in this update are but a small fraction of those imprisoned by the military for refusing to serve in it. And while international pressure and a public campaign would do little to help (and much to harm) the case of, e.g., a young Israeli escaping conscription to provide for his or her family, it is important to bear in mind the fate of these people, and the important practical stance they in fact assume against the militarized social order in Israel.
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Keywords: ⇒ Conscientious Objection ⇒ Israel ⇒ Military ⇒ Noam Gur ⇒ Prosecution ⇒ Women