Update on Imprisoned Objectors

CO Neta Mishli

- Please distribute widely -

Fisrt prison term for CO Neta Mishli. Information on Itay Melamed’s refusal. Full information and recommended action follow.

Today’s update contains information on two objectors. First Neta Mishli, 18, from Tel-Aviv, a signatory of the 2008 high school seniors refusal letter, who began serving her first prison term today (23 Apr.) Neta arrived yesterday (22 Apr.) at the military Induction Base and refused to enlist. For this she was first sentenced to seven days of confinement to base (she was told there was no room in the military prison for women). However, the following day she was again tried and sentenced, this time to 20 days in military prison. She was told that the Military Attorney’s Office has authorised trying her again for the very same act.

Neta has prepared the following declaration upon entering prison:

I am not willing to be part of an organization committing war crimes, taking the lives of thousands of innocent civilians, an organization that, in the name of humanism and democracy, forces me and my peers to sacrifise a period of our lives, and our lives themselves, for false calm, for no calm shall come to pass until Israel decides to give up the policy of war and turn towards peace. Therefore, as a small step towards stopping the cycle of bloodshed, I hereby refuse to enlist in the military.

Neta Mishli is due to be released from prison on 10 May, but is likely to be imprisoned again soon afterwards. Her address in prison is:

Since the prison authorities often block mail from reaching imprisoned objectors, we also recommend you to send your letters of support and encouragement to the imprisoned objectors via e-mail to shministim@gmail.com, and they will be printed out and delivered during visits.

Information on another objector (not in prison at the moment, but recently out of prison, and in danger of further imprisonment) comes to us from our friends in “Yesh Gvul”. Itay Melamed, 20, from the town of Nes Tziona, has recently been released from Military Prison no. 6, where he spent 17 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories. Itai was assigned to the Kfir brigade, a notorious unit whose sole purpose is enforcing the occupation. At first he believed he would be able to make a difference and prevent violations of human rights, but later he became disillusioned. Itai is now awaiting his commander’s decision on further placement, and is being threatened with additional prison terms. In a letter announcing his refusal Itay wrote:

I, who was raised to believe that one has to contribute to society even if it is not convenient, declare that I will not take part in the continuing oppression of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories, and will not participate in policing [Palestinians] and in guarding the settlements that are designed to perpetuate the oppression.

I reject the argument that the Occupation is necessary to safeguard the country’s security, because it has been going on and on for 42 years already, and with it the oppression of the Palestinian people who are fighting for their national liberty. In our violence, in the humiliation, in the severe violations of international law and in the Apartheid policies we implement in the Territories, we shall reap only more and more terror, and the cycle of bloodshed will only expand on both sides [...]

When I, a patriot and a Zionist declare my refusal, it is with the good of the State in view, I do it out of deep concern for the morality of the nation in which I live, a nation I love deeply and it hurts me to see it tumble in this way into abysmal morality, it hurts me to see how the settlements brutalize Israeli society. [Translated by Assaf Oron]

The full text of the letter can be read here. For now, there is no concrete action to be taken on Itay’s behalf (we will update if and when he returns to prison), but you may want to mention his case in letters of protest sent to authorities.

Recommended Action
First of all, please circulate this message and the information contained in it as widely as possible, not only through e-mail, but also on websites, conventional media, by word of mouth, etc.

Other recommendations for action:

1. Sending Letters of Support

Please send the imprisoned objectors letters of support (preferably postcards or by fax) to the prison addresses above.
2. Letters to Authorities

It is recommended to send letters of protest on the objectors’ behalf, preferably by fax, to:

Copies of your letters can also be sent to the commander of the military prison at:

Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney General (note updated fax number):

It would be especially useful to send your appeals to the Commander of the Induction Base in Tel-HaShomer. It is this officer that ultimately decides whether an objector is to be exempted from military service or sent to another round in prison, and it is the same officer who is ultimately in charge of the military Conscience Committee:

For those of you who live outside Israel, it would be very effective to send protests to your local Israeli embassy. You can find the address of your local embassy on the web.

Here is a generic sample letter, which you can use in sending appeals to authorities on the prisoners’ behalf. Feel free to modify this letter or write your own:

We will appreciate receiving copies from the letters to the address: support.refusers.israel@gmail.com

3. Letters to media in Israel and in other countries

Writing op-ed pieces and letters to editors of media in Israel and other countries could also be quite useful in indirectly but powerfully pressuring the military authorities to let go of the objectors and in bringing their plight and their cause to public attention.

Here are some contact details for the main media outlets in Israel:

    Ma’ariv:
    2 Karlibach st.
    Tel-Aviv 67132
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-561-06-14
    e-mail: editor@maariv.co.il
    Yedioth Aharonoth:
    2 Moses st.
    Tel-Aviv
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-608-25-46
    Ha’aretz (Hebrew):
    21 Schocken st.
    Tel-Aviv, 61001
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-681-00-12
    Ha’aretz (English edition):
    21 Schocken st.
    Tel-Aviv, 61001
    Israel
    Fax: +972-3-512-11-56
    e-mail: letters@haaretz.co.il
    • and +972-3-694-47-09

    • Radio (fax numbers):
    Kol-Israel +972-2-531-33-15
    Galei Zahal +972-3-512-67-20
    Television (fax numbers):
    Channel 1 +972-2-530-15-36
    Channel 2 +972-2-533-98-09
    Channel 10 +972-3-733-16-66

We will continue updating on further developments.

April 24, 2009 | Filed Under In Prison Now  | |

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