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july2006
Forum Admin
Israel
42 Posts |
 Posted - 08/07/2006 : 01:20:27
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Friends,
Two Israeli reserve officers have entered imprisonment this week following their refusal to participate in the war in Lebanon. Their names are Amir Fester and Zohar Milghrub. Both have been sentenced to a month in prison.
They need your support.
Everyone is welcome to post here notes or letters to the refuseniks, which will be printed out and delivered to the prison. If you would like to maintain discretion, please email your letter to "alteriamo at gmail.com" .
For those posting here, we remind of the generic username available to each and all:
User: guest
password: levant
Take care,
Dimi
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july2006
Forum Admin
Israel
42 Posts |
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frencheagle
Starting Member
Lebanon
3 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2006 : 22:58:50
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Dear Dimi,
the interview was as well posted on lbf, http://lebanonheartblogs.blogspot.com , and now is broadcasted by several lebanese blogs such as http://colddesert.blogspot.com/
it s also taken back by some forums like that one http://www.forum-politique.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=40437 where you can read that support message (seems they didnt understand they have to write it here)
Monsieur Zohar Milchgrub,
J'apprend à l'instant qu'un 2ème soldat israëlien refuse de servir la guerre.
Celà fait plaisir de voir qu'il n'y a pas que des fous de guerre en israël.
J'espère de tout coeur que votre détention seras la plus brève possible.
Je suis près à signer une pétition internationalle pour la libération des refuzniks israëliens.
Vous aviez le choix entre suivre servilement ou respecter l'Autre courageusement.
Sachez que votre acte courageux seras un exemple pour les jeunes.
Ils pourront choisir entre la folie de la masse manipulée ou l'acte courageux librement consentit. |
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july2006
Forum Admin
Israel
42 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2006 : 00:29:52
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ALllllright! There's a third! Itamar Shapira, 26, has been sentenced to two weeks in prison following his refusal to join the reserve forces fighting in Lebanon. He said at his trial that he is refusing "for the sake of the security of all citizens of the state". Itamar is the younger brother of Jonathan Shapira, signatory to the Pilots' Letter in 2003; and of Zohar Shapira, signatory to the Sayeret Matkal Letter.
!
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july2006
Forum Admin
Israel
42 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2006 : 00:33:34
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Update!
Just got a letter from Yesh Gvul (the central refuse movement in israel).
At the moment there are 10 Conscientous Objectors in various stage of trial / imprisonment!
More soon! |
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Guest
Starting Member
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2006 : 15:41:51
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Je tenais a remercier Zohar de sa bravoure et de son intelligence.
Je suis Franco-Libanais, mais j observe particulierement et suit de pres les mouvements pacifistes israeliens. J'ai enormement d'amis israeliens ou Juifs a travers le monde. Je peux comprendre de ce fait, toute sa force a avoir pu lutter contre toutes ces personnes meme au pres de sa famille qui supporte Israel sans reserve.
Israel a le droit d'exister et le peuple israelien de meme ainsi que vivre en paix et en securite. Mais ils faudraient que toutes ces personnes comprennent egalement que les peuples qui vivent aux alentours d Israel ont eu aussi le droit a l existance, vivre en paix et en securite.
Helas je trouve que dans ce conflit,toutes personnes intelligentes au sein du gouvernement ou dans la population ont oublie un vieux proverbe qui dit: Ne faites jamais ce que vous n aimeriez pas que l on vous fasse.
Toutes mes voeux de soutient et de reconnaissance a Zohar et ainsi aux personnes qui lui sont proches.
Paix en Israel et Paix au Liban.
Laura Small |
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lennybruce
Starting Member
2 Posts |
 Posted - 08/09/2006 : 21:38:45
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My most sincere wishes to the objectors. In Israel it takes immense courage and moral conviction to stand up to your friends, family and the entire society and say, "Not in my name."
My story: In June, 1892, I entered Lebanon as a fresh IDF reservist, one month out of my regular duty. I entered with much conviction that we were fighting a just war. Two months later I left, a peace activist for the rest of my life. It happened in one night. Attached to a unit searching homes for suspected PLO members and sympathizers. In every house we would conduct a search looking for hidden weapons or documents that could useful for intelligence. This required sweeping contents off of bookshelves and opening floorboards. In one house, a mother with 3 children standing behind her. The oldest two, boys, maybe 12 and 14, looked at us with a mix of fear and hate. Once we began sweeping the bookshelves clean, the mother began screaming in arabic and didnt stop until we left. Later that night I asked our SLA liason what 'that crazy ***** was screaming about.' He told me she was begging us not to ruin her childrens' schoolbooks because she couldnt afford new ones.
At that moment I knew. She only wanted the same things that my parents wanted for me. The chance to provide her children an education and I assume make something of themselves in the future. At that moment I knew. The things that united us, me and her children, she and my parents, were much greater than the things which we thought divided us. At that moment I knew. Life is precious and if you believe in god, even holy. To take a life is an enormous responsibility. To snuff out generations of future life which would stem from the life one takes, is a terrible moral burden. Before one goes to war, one must know, in the absolute depths of one's heart and soul, that there is absolutely no other choice possible. No other choice at all. And then, one must do it with great sadness and with great conviction, that this will never happen again. And to dedicate one's life, in however ways small or large, to see that it never happens again.
My heart is with you all, objectors. May your strength and moral courage be spread as one candle lights another, creating even more light. And to any other readers in Israel or Lebanon, may you be safe and may you find the moral courage to strive for peace and reconciliation. Because I know, deep in my heart, if we replace fear with hope, and hate with love, that the middle east, a jewish and muslim middle east, can blossom into a wonderful wonderful place. |
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Guest
Starting Member
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2006 : 17:04:59
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Para: Zohar Milchgrub - prison No. 6
Un amigo me envio tu entrevista, publicada hoy en Lebnanews.
Quiero felicitarte por el coraje y seriedad con que sostienes tus principios.
La intolerancia genera odio y violencia, y cuando esta penetra al corazon de los hombres, las situaciones se salen de control.
Gracias a Dios que entre la juventud surgen voces que llaman a la cordura, al dialogo y a la comprension.
Sigue adelante, y preparate para formar parte de esa generacion de relevo que conduzca al mundo hacia la paz, la convivencia, la tolerancia y los deseos de construir una mejor sociedad!!!
Una admiradora venezolana.
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joshkadosh
Starting Member
3 Posts |
 Posted - 08/13/2006 : 22:36:57
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I got the phone call on Thursday and tomorrow I'm going back to the army, probably at this point I won't be sent up north, but who knows. It's not like Gaza is any better or worse.
Thought briefly about not going on conscientious grounds, and I can't. If it was a good-guys against bad-guys kind of conflict, and I realised I was on the wrong side, I would refuse, but it's not like that. I think, even though the outside world only sees all the horrible pictures and stories, that the army really does protect lives, not just ruin them. Once, in Hebron, we raided a house, and all the women were screaming and all the kids were shouting, and I felt terrible. But in the living room were guns, ammunition, explosives and maps to Beer Sheva. I caused a family to suffer, but I still believe I did more good than bad that night.
I know that nationalism is out of fashion, but in a non-racist non-supremacist way, I love my country a lot, and I want to do everything I can to help her. And that's why I'll be going back to the army tomorrow. |
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july2006
Forum Admin
Israel
42 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2006 : 09:39:17
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What can I say...
I'd tell you that it's a waste of life and ammunition, that the army is stuck everywhere, that nothing is gained by our military actions, espescially now that we have ackonwledged the ceasefire (may it last) and announced the willingness to negotiate on prisoner's realease; which we could have done a month ago without devastating a country and losing so many lives - on all sides of the conflict. But I won't, since your mind is obviously made up. So god speed. May you not have to kill nor be killed, god forbids, for our leaders' fantasies of hegemony.
Keeping fingers crossed,
Dimi
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1. "Don't mourn, organize!"
2. Viam inveniam aut faciam. |
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Guest
Starting Member
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2006 : 19:03:09
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"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." - John Stuart Mill, 1863 |
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2006 Conscientous Objectors Wire: 10 & counting!!
