Israelis Imprisoned for Refusing to Fight

Amnesty International is currently highlighting the plight of Amir Pasteur and Itamar Shapira, both have been imprisoned for refusing to take part in the offensive against the people of Lebanon. Amnesty describes their cases thus:

Amir Pasteur

On 31 July 2006 reservist, Captain Amir Pasteur, 32 years old, was sentenced by the Military Court to 28 days imprisonment for his refusal to participate in military attacks on Lebanon.

Amir Pasteur is a student from Tel Aviv who decided to refuse to participate in attacks against Lebanon after attending a peace demonstration in Tel Aviv.

At his trial, he said that he was unwilling to participate in the hostilities with Lebanon since it "… runs contrary to the values upon which [he] was brought up".

Itamar Shapira

Sergeant Itamar Shapira, 26 years old, was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment on 8 August for refusing to serve. Itamar Shapira was a signatory to the Combatants’ Letter first published in 2002 which was signed by reservists and soldiers who objected to fighting beyond the 1967 borders “in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people [Palestinian population living in the Occupied Territories]”. He is also a member of Combatants for Peace, a group of Israeli and Palestinian individuals who formerly “used weapons against one another … [and] today … cooperate and commit … to … use only non-violent means to achieve our goals and call for both societies to end violence.” In his trial Itamar Shapira stated that he refused to fight in Lebanon for the security of Israeli civilians.

If you want to play your part in campaigning for the release of these two men, as well as other conscientious objectors, Amnesty has a sample letter and contact that you can send to the Israeli authorities. Action is needed to ensure that Israel respects the rights of the individual.