Conscientious objector imprisoned for refusing to join Israeli army

ISTANBUL

A conscientious objector who has refused to join the army in response to Israel's relentless offensive against Gaza since October 7 last year said he believes Israel is committing genocide against Gaza's civilian population.

Yuval Moav, an 18-year-old Israeli citizen who was imprisoned for refusing to join the Israeli army, told Anadolu about his experience after refusing military service in protest against the army's actions, which include turning the Gaza Strip into a desert landscape and pushing the Palestinian population there to the brink of starvation.

Moav said Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and he had no choice but to refuse military service to oppose the occupation.

He said Israel imprisoned him a month ago: “I am 18 years old and I refuse to be involved in the genocide. I just returned from my first 30-day sentence in an Israeli military prison and I will go there again. If you refuse to report, you can be imprisoned for up to 30 days, but if you are released, you will be drafted again. I will refuse to be drafted again and I think this cycle will continue for maybe another six months.”

He said he would resist the draft as long as he could.

He said there was a group in Israel that opposed the massacres, adding: “There are people in Israel who oppose these massacres for various reasons, but this is very unfortunate because we are few in number.”

Moav called on the Jewish community to refuse military service to stop the ongoing genocide in Palestine, saying: “I am far from being a victim in this situation. I will serve my prison sentence and resume my privileged life. I think that is something you should not do under any circumstances. If you join the Israeli army now, it will be a stain on your life forever. It will haunt you forever. I think I have made my point clear, and I will do it in solidarity with the Palestinian people. I will do it because I will not be an accomplice to genocide.”

– “My conscience was not clear”

Moav said he wanted to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, adding: “That is why I believe that I cannot in good conscience provide clarity on what is happening… First of all, I would like to say that I stand in solidarity with my Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

Moab stated that the Israeli army intends to destroy the Palestinian people and their way of life, stressing that in his view the Israeli government and parts of Israeli society are complicit in this “genocide”.

Moav described the killing of tens of thousands of innocents in Gaza – around 41,000 at last count – as unacceptable, adding: “I can say that to my Palestinian brothers and sisters. That is what I can do, that is what I can do. At the same time, I want to say that there are people who have seen the pain and suffering that Israel is causing now and since its founding. We stand against it and we will not go anywhere, and when the day comes, we will build a better society together, we can do that.”

– Compulsory military service in Israel

In Israel, both Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) and some secular groups refuse to join the army.

Hot topics such as exemption from military service for Haredi and judicial reform have been postponed since last October due to the current situation in the country. These issues, which have been put on hold in the interest of social unity in times of war, are considered fragile fault lines in Israeli society.

In February, the army announced a plan to extend the service period of conscripts and reservists. While the service period of conscripts was extended, the issue of exempting Haredi men from military service was raised again.

Exemption of Haredi men from military service was one of the main political priorities of the Haredi parties. However, the rapprochement of Israeli society with the army since last October has caused some parliamentarians to change their tone.

Effective April 1, the Supreme Court issued a ruling freezing state funding to yeshivas (religious schools) that do not accept their students. The decision, which was condemned by Haredi leaders, raised fears that Haredi parties could leave the ruling coalition.

As a result, yeshivas will no longer receive financial support for students who qualify for military service. This will leave nearly 1,300 yeshivas without government support and hundreds more facing partial cuts.

​​​​​​​​Haredi leaders have continued to support Netanyahu because they trusted his commitment to protect the well-being of their communities through their isolation. To this day, they continue to study the Torah and are exempt from military service.

*Written by Efe Ozkan

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