A handful of Israeli teenagers go to prison every year because
they refuse to serve in the country’s army for reasons of conscience. Nineteen-year-old Natan Blanc from Haifa has been through this already ten times in almost six months.

This is a common petition by New Profile, Amnesty International, Connection e. V.,War Resisters’ International, Yesh Gvul (Video Interview with Natan Blanc) and
Gush Shalom.

So far Natan Blanc has served more than 150 days in jail.Every few weeks he is released, then tried and imprisoned again after repeating his refusal to join the army. On 12th May he was sentenced to another 28 days in Military Prison #6 near Atlit in Northern Israel.

Blanc says he will not participate in human rights violations against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He was first imprisoned after refusing his induction last November.

Excerpt from Natan Blanc’s Refusal Declaration
“I began thinking about refusing to conscripted into the Israeli Army during the “Cast Lead” operation in 2008. The wave of aggressive militarism that swept the country then, the expressions of mutual hatred, and the vacuous talk about stamping out terror and creating a deterrent effect were the primary trigger for my refusal. Today, after four years full of terror, without a political process [towards peace negotiations], and without quiet in Gaza and Sderot, it is clear that the Netanyahu Government, like that of his predecessor Olmert, is not interested in finding a solution to the existing situation, but rather in preserving it. From their point of view, there is nothing wrong with our initiating a “Cast Lead 2″ operation every three or four years (and then 3, 4, 5 and 6): we will talk of deterrence, we will kill some terrorist, we will lose some civilians on both sides, and we will prepare the ground for a new generation full of hatred on both sides. As representatives of the people, members of the cabinet have no [sic] duty to present their vision for the futures of the country, and they can continue with this bloody cycle, with no end in sight. But we, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate in this cynical game.”

Click here for a video interview of Natan Blanc with Amnesty International on the occasion of this 7th prison term.

The right to reject military service on grounds of conscientious objection is protected under international human rights law, including the International Covenant

on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Israel has ratified.

Although the army’s Conscience Committee can decide to allow a conscientious objector exemption from military service, this is usually granted only to those who refuse to serve on religious grounds. However, no discrimination is permitted
“among conscientious objectors on the basis of the nature of their particular beliefs”,i.e. whether they are religious or otherwise (Human Rights Committee, General Comment 22, para. 11). And even though Israeli law does allow for exemption on grounds of pacifism, their Conscience Committee frequently rejects their cases.

Conscientious objectors in Israel can be convicted of and imprisoned for the same “offence” repeatedly. In 2003, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that this practise flouts their rights under international human rights standards which prohibit “double jeopardy”.

TO SIGN THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG:  http://goo.gl/XLgjf

13th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

By Team Khalil

Swedish activist Gustav Karlsson is today, 13th May, being transferred to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv in preparation to be flown back to Sweden against his will. He is currently appealing his deportation legally.

Gustav was arrested on the 28th April in the West Bank city of Hebron, as he objected to the violent arrests by Israeli military of two 11- and 12-year old children, who were released later the same day. Soldiers violently grabbed Gustav, arresting him solely for his non-violent protest. He was accused of assaulting a soldier, and some news sources have stated that he grabbed a soldier’s weapon. Video evidence clearly debunks all of these false charges.

Gustav and Palestinian children’s arrest video

Gustav was shoved with guns and soldiers pretended to shoot him as he was blindfolded after he was arrested. He has been held in Givon immigration detention centre since the 29th April – the Israeli authorities declined to allow him a court hearing to prove false the charges against him. Instead they transferred him directly to the Ministry of Interior for deportation, a practise more and more commonly used against peaceful activists documenting Israel’s human rights abuses. Gustav is currently appealing the decision to deport him with a lawyer but the Israeli Ministry of Interior proves today by transferring Gustav that they are ignoring this process of law. He has given no consent to be deported and has not signed any agreement, as he denies that he should be deported.

Gustav Karlsson being arrested in Hebron

Gustav said today “I am very indignant about the contempt for justice in the Israeli system – not only did the soldiers first wrongfully arrest two young children, now they are deporting me without giving me a chance to defend myself in court, even though the charges against me are clearly false. Time and time again, the Israeli system denies justice to the Palestinians and those who come here in solidarity with them.” See the original article about Gustav’s arrest here.

The Israeli justice system operates on separate levels for people of different ethnic origins – Israeli civilians are tried in civil courts, as are international activists (when they are not transferred immediately to immigration detention), whereas Palestinians are tried in military courts.

source: http://palsolidarity.org/2013/05/contempt-for-justice-in-the-israeli-system-swedish-activist-being-deported-despite-false-charges-and-legal-appeal/

Scegliere di vivere a Tuwani è un atto di coraggio. Porsi in una posizione di conflitto aperto, senza armi, scegliendo dichiaratamente la nonviolenza, richiede forza. Quello che spesso passa in secondo piano tuttavia è la vera natura della sfida, che non è solo contro le regole aggressive dell’occupazione militare israeliana, bensì contro la parte più intima di noi stessi, il nostro pozzo profondo e scuro.

Il nostro essere, dannatamente, amabilmente umani.

Spesso durante le testimonianze in Italia, nelle scuole, mi viene posta la domanda “Ma tu non hai paura?”. Nel mio inconscio iniziano quindi turbini di pensieri riguardanti questa questione: paura di chi? Paura di cosa? Di che cosa è che noi giovani europei, cresciuti in una situazione di relativo benessere abbiamo paura? Della guerra? Della violenza?
Faccio fatica ad accettare che possa essere solo quella la radice delle nostre ansie quotidiane, non è di perdere la vita che abbiamo paura, ma di viverla nella pienezza. Abbiamo paura di essere fedeli a noi stessi. Facciamo fatica ad accettare fino in fondo la strada che abbiamo di fronte.

Non è della guerra che abbiamo paura, siamo cresciuti con immagini di battaglie alla televisione, siamo la generazione che ha visto in diretta TV il crollo delle Torri Gemelle e la gente che si gettava dalle finestre. Abbiamo sentito le cronache delle varie invasioni in nome della libertà. Non è di tutto ciò che abbiamo paura. Temiamo il conflitto perché risveglia parti di noi che preferiremmo tenere nascoste, emozioni di cui ci vergogniamo, il lato buio che si cela in ogni essere umano.

South Hebron Hills Popular Committee member arrested during nonviolent action in Khelly Valley, At-Tuwani, Southern Hebron Hills

At-Tuwani – On April 6, Border Police officers and army soldiers arrested a member of the nonviolent South Hebron Hills Popular Committee, while he was harvesting on his private owned land in Khelly Valley, nearby the village of At-Tuwani, during a nonviolent action.

The goal of this action was to affirm the right of the Palestinians to enter their land despite the Israeli Military Administration restrictions, which until today do not have any legal support.

Since 9:00 am the soldiers and the Border Police, in coordination with Ma’on security chief, prevented the Palestinian shepherds from grazing their flocks down in Khelly Valley. An old woman and his nephew were stopped as well while trying to reach the valley.

Around 11:20 a.m. some women and children from At-Tuwani went down in the valley to harvest, challenging the imposed restriction. The Popular Committee member reached them and started to work as well. A few minutes later the army declared the valley a “closed military area” but the Palestinians refused to leave, claiming their right to work their private land. This was the reason for the soldiers to arrest the only man who was attending the resistance action. At 11:30 am he was taken to the Border Police jeep and detained there for about two hours. The women and the children kept on gathering grass in the valley in spite of the soldiers’ threats and pressures (i.e. a soldier ran after a child). The nonviolent action ended at around 12:00 a.m.. Some hours later the activists of Ta’ayush were informed about the fact that the Palestinian had been taken to Kiryat Arba police station. At 6:00 p.m. he was released under the payment of 1.000NIS.

Palestinians have been facing problems in Khelly since 2004, when around one hundred cherry trees were planted by the settlers on part of the valley nearby Ma’on. Since then the Israeli administration has been confiscating Palestinian land step by step in order to annex it to Ma’on. At the end of 2011 Khelly Hill was declared “State Land” and some residential buildings were built on it. Some months later, in March 2012, a paved street was created in front of the new houses. Starting from those expansion works the Palestinian shepherds were definitely prevented from entering the area of Khelly Hill. Since January 2013 until now the shepherds were also prevented from using Khelly Valley. In the last month the shepherds were chased away 10 times by soldiers and police and 4 times by settlers.

Nevertheless the Palestinian community of South Hebron Hills area continue to resist the occupation using the nonviolent struggle.

Operation Dove maintains a constant presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron hills area since 2004.

Pictures of the incident: http://snipurl.com/26rxs3q
Video: http://snipurl.com/26sdsfo

Il Freedom Theatre di Jenin è arrivato a Tuwani il 24 sera con circa 50 partecipanti da tutto il mondo. Durante la settimana gli internazionali hanno aiutato i palestinesi nei lavori presso la scuola e nella costruzione di una piccola casa di pietra su Khelly Hill per accogliere i bimbi di Tuba e Maghayr Al Abeed durante le attese della scorta militare.

GINEVRA – Il consiglio dei diritti umani dell’Onu ha chiesto a Israele di: «Fermare tutte le attività d’insediamento senza precondizioni e avvii un processo di ritiro di tutti i coloni dai Territori». Secondo il rapporto dell’inchiesta guidata dalla giudice francese Christine Chanet, reso pubblico oggi a Ginevra (in data 06-02-013): «Un numero elevato di diritti umani dei palestinesi sono violati a causa dell’esistenza delle colonie».

Chi è vissuto in Israele-Palestina dall’attentato alle torri gemelle in poi, può costatare che siamo in una nuova fase politica rispetto ai rapporti tra l’amministrazione israeliana e le Nazioni Unite. Per decenni, il Consiglio di sicurezza dell’ONU, tramite il veto americano, ha bocciato ripetutamente le risoluzioni pro-palestinesi. Oggi, invece, la Palestina è membro osservatore delle Nazioni Unite e l’ONU intende intraprendere un percorso di diritto internazionale in favore dei palestinesi.

Il partito Yesh Atid (lett. c’è un futuro), divenendo il secondo partito dopo il Likud, è la sorpresa di queste nuove elezioni in Israele. Terzo, è il vecchio partito laburista. Gli osservatori politici pensano che il partito di Mr. Lapid (leader di Yesh Atid) dovrà appoggiare l’attuale leader Netanyahu, ma con un interesse dichiarato per le questioni di politica interna, come la riforma degli alloggi e la riforma dell’istruzione. Anche in Israele è forte la protesta per ottenere riforme sociali come in tanti altri paesi del mondo, protesta che ha trovato nel gruppo Yesh Atid la sua manifestazione.