Product Description

In Israel, hundreds of soldiers called up to take part in controversial campaigns or assignments have refused orders. In the current Palestinian intifada, over a thousand such refusals have been registered, many of the "refuseniks" serving prison sentences rather than defend illegal Jewish settlements. This text presents the stories, experiences, viewpoints and poetry, of these officers and ordinary footsoldiers, men and women, from every ethnic background and class. Here is the story of Yesh Gvul ("there is a limit"...) which has long served refuseniks as a voice and campaigning vehicle, and the newer refusal groups. And we see the wider implications of the philosophy of selective refusal for conscientious citizens n every country where conscription still exists, and the model it presents for the peace movement worldwide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #927398 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
'Our greatest admiration must go to those brave Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve beyond the 1967 borders... These soldiers, who are Jews, take seriously the principle put forward at the Nuremberg trials in 1945-46: namely, that a soldier is not obliged to obey unjust orders - indeed, one has an obligation to disobey them.' - Susan Sontag, novelist, essayist and playwright. 'Resistance to crimes of state, and refusal to participate in them, has been and remains one of the most significant achievements of people of decency and courage throughout history. The Israelis who have undertaken this honorable course merit the greatest admiration and respect. Their testimonies are a memorable contribution to this noble cause.' - Noam Chomsky

About the Author
Peretz Kidron is a journalist, broadcaster and writer. Born in Vienna in 1933, he fled Nazi persecution to settle in Britain with his family. He later emigrated to Israel, lived on a kibbutz and became active in the peace movement. A refusenik himself, he handles international contacts for the refusenik organisation Yesh Gvul.

Customer Reviews

Inspiring by example
Having recently attended a talk by the editor of this book, Peretz Kidron, I was deeply impressed by the stories of the generations of refuseniks who have taken the courageous decision to refuse to serve in Israel's army of oppression in the Occupied Territories. They are not all pacifists or leftwingers and they proclaim a deep love for their country, a true patriotism that demands that they live up to the principles of their religion and society in opposing injustice and brutality. Kidron and the refuseniks bear witness to the daily oppression of the Occupation, and its corrosive effect on Israeli society, and stand up for their belief that Israel of all nations should not be treating another people in this barbaric manner. I visited the Occupied Territories some years ago and was horrified by what I saw there. If only Israel had an army of soldiers like these brave refuseniks, the prospects for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine would be so much more hopeful. And if Israel's so-called "friends" in the West, who provide the weapons and money to sustain the Occupation, would read this book and learn from the example of the refuseniks, then perhaps there might be an even brighter future for Israel, Palestine and the whole region.