Israeli refuses military service because of Gaza brutality
Jewish Israeli Mattan Hellman (20), of Kibbutz Ha’ogen, has refused to serve in the Israeli military citing the ongoing violence and claiming to be a conscientious objector.
Conscientious objectors are recognized in most civilized military systems, including int he United States. However, Israel severely punishes Jews who refuse service. Hellman is a member of Mesarvot, an organization of Israelis who refuse to serve in the occupation.
Hellaman has refused citing the unnecessary and excessive violence against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military. Snipes have targeted and killed more than 41 Palestinians during the past four weeks of non-violent demonstrations and protests that Israel falsely claims are “violent.”
Most of the individuals killed have been teenagers who were at the protest, and at least two Palestinian journalists documenting the news event who were shot in the head by Israeli soldiers.
Following six periods of incarceration amounting to 110 days, the IDF has exempted conscientious objector Mattan Hellman from service. The reason given by the Incompatibility Commission was “severe bad behaviour.”
As he left prison Mattan Hellman said: “If fifty years of occupation were not enough, then the events of the last few weeks at the Gaza border should be enough to convince anyone with any humanity and understanding that these acts are the ones leading to the ongoing escalation in the cycle of bloodshed.”
“I am leaving prison with my head held high, knowing that many young people in Israel are conscientious and honest and will refuse to take part in the occupation and Israel’s continuing oppression of the Palestinians.”
Background of Mattan Hellman:
Mattan Hellman (20), of Kibbutz Ha’ogen, first arrived at the Induction Center in Tel Hashomer Camp last November, accompanied by dozens of supporters, and announced his refusal to join the army. Since then Hellman has been sentenced to six periods of incarceration, totalling 110 days in military prison, all served in Prison 6. A month ago he was summoned to the military Conscience Committee, where he explained his conscientious world view which obliges him to refuse to serve; the committee rejected his petition.
In his statement of refusal, made public before he came to the Induction Center, Hellman said: “Even the most moral human being would not turn the occupation into a moral act; there is no justification to this domination of civilians and there is no such thing as a moral occupation.”
CO Ayelet Brechfeld (18), from Tel Aviv, is also currently serving 61 days in prison for refusing to join the military. Hellman and Brechfeld are both active in Mesarvot – a network of political refusal, which connects initiatives and groups of conscientious refusal from recent years for joint action. The network supports conscientious objectors who choose not to join the occupation army, while bringing attention to the gendered impacts of conscription on Israeli society. The network is a partner of the Yesh Gvul movement.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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