Israel woman refuses to serve in IDF

The military has sentenced conscientious Objector Yasmin Ricci-Yahav to 20 prison days for her refusal to join the military. This is Yasmin’s 5th prison term, and at the end of it she would have served 74 prison days

In a video published before her current imprisonment, a very courageous and principled Yasmin explained (in Hebrew):

“It is never easy to return to prison, but I believe that with everything that happened last week, it is important to find alternatives to the use of force that tends to be our default, but only brings more violence and suffering. We must find a way to break out of this cycle”

Yasmin is 18 from Mevaseret Zion, and was first imprisoned for her refusal in August 2019. She declared her refusal saying: “I hope my refusal will contribute to the struggle to build a better future that is not only safe for the state of Israel, but also inspires hope and is full of patience and compassion.”

Yasmin Ricci-Yahav is supported by Mesarvot – a political refusal network that brings together initiatives, refusal letters and movements from the past few years. The network supports military refusers that choose not to serve in an occupying military, also taking into consideration the negative gendered effects of conscription on Israeli society. The movement operates in collaboration with Yesh Gvul movement.

Support Yasmin by LIKING the Mesarvot Facebook Page.

Yasmin Ricci-Yahav, October 2019. Conscientious Objector refusing to serve int he IDF because of the attacks Gaza. Courtesy of Mesarvot

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rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

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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