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Israeli Soldier Jailed for Refusing to Serve in Occupied Territory
JERUSALEM, July 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - An Israeli reservist was sentenced to 24 days in jail this week for refusing to serve in the Palestinian territories, Israeli radio reported.
Reserve sergeant Alex Liachs, 26, an information technology student, is the 16th soldier to be sentenced for refusing to serve in Palestinian occupied territory since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada, or uprising, on September 28th, the radio broadcast Wednesday.
Ten other reserve soldiers and five regulars are facing prosecution on similar charges as well, the French news agency AFP reported.
On May 22nd, Israeli radio announced that the police military leadership applied for an increase in budget to build a military prison to contain the increase in the number of imprisoned Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In the same month, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz newspaper reported that a few years ago an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sergeant, Yishai Rosen-Tzvi, refused to serve mandatory military reserve duty if it included duties aiding the Israeli occupation.
"Today Israel is jailing Israelis for doing just that, refusing to participate in continuing the occupation of Palestinians" Ha'aretz said.
"I won't take part in a siege enforced against hundreds of thousands of people, including women and children, I won't starve entire villages and prevent their residents from getting to work each day or to medical check-ups; I won't turn them into hostages of political decisions. A siege against cities, like bombing raids from helicopters, does not stop 'terror'. It is a [stop] to placate [the Israeli] public, which demands 'Let the IDF win'", Rosen-Tzvi said then.
Rosen-Tzvi is a religious "National Zionist" Israeli, himself a former settler and the son of the former dean of the Tel Aviv University Law School, the newspaper added.
Ha'aretz reported that Rosen-Tzvi is one of a growing number of "brave and courageous" Israeli reservists who refuse to take part in the occupation of the Palestinian territories and people.
Tens of soldiers have joined the "Hadash" movement, an Israeli activist movement which protects Israeli soldiers who refuse military service.
In a press conference held last May, an Israeli lawyer, Leia'h Tsimel, called on international human rights organizations and peace activists to release a communiqué calling on Israeli soldiers not to carry out "illegal" military orders against Palestinians.
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