FALCON POWERS – There has been a rise in the number of Israeli soldiers who are refusing to serve in the Israeli army, protesting the government’s policies against the Palestinians. The “There is a Limit” movement, which assists conscientious objectors, stated that the number of draft refusers is “unprecedented” in the current war on Gaza, according to a report published on the news site “Times of Israel” today, Wednesday.
Yeshayahu Menuchin, a spokesperson for the “There is a Limit” movement, said he has assisted around 40 soldiers who refused their military call-up orders. Other activists in this movement, which was founded after the 1982 Lebanon invasion, said they have helped dozens of other soldiers refuse service.
The movement received around 100 requests for assistance from draft refusers during the current war. In comparison, the movement typically receives 10-15 such requests per year, and around 40 during the wars in Lebanon and the two Palestinian intifadas.
Menuchin said the refusers started contacting him in mid-October, a week after Israel launched the war on Gaza, and he is still receiving such requests from soldiers.
The group called “Rofot” (Female Refusers), which assists youth who refuse conscription into the Israeli army before being called up for mandatory service, also reported a significant increase in the number of refusers approaching them.
Typically, fewer than 10 youth per year would declare their refusal of military service, but “Rofot” activists say there has been a notable rise in the number of reserve soldiers who have approached them, and they have directed them to other movements.
The left-wing activist David Zonshein, who founded the “Courage to Refuse” movement and has assisted refusers in the past, said he has received requests for help from dozens of draft refusers during the current war, especially in recent months, far more than he received in the past several years combined.
The report noted that some conscientious objectors are not in contact with refuser organizations, so the data held by these organizations is partial. However, the fact that their numbers have risen by hundreds of percentage points is a clear indicator of a significant increase in the number of draft refusers.
In the wake of the recent reduction in reserve forces recruitment, the number of conscientious objectors has continued to rise, “due to the complexity of the war, the war crimes being committed, and the growing protests against the government’s performance,” according to the report.
Mivkahin said he “is aware of the existence of additional conscientious objectors beyond those we are assisting.” Mivkahin and Zonshine stated that even in cases where the Israeli military has threatened to punish conscientious objectors, in practice none of the soldiers they have assisted have been imprisoned.
The report also noted that in addition to ideological conscientious objectors, a recent phenomenon has emerged of soldiers refusing service due to declining morale caused by the prolonged war. At the end of April, around 30 reserve paratroopers who had been called up for military service in Rafah announced they were refusing to serve, because during the long months of war, their studies, jobs, and families had been disrupted, causing them psychological and physical distress.
Mivkahin said he is aware of other cases of conscientious objection due to declining morale, and that some of these objectors have been prosecuted and imprisoned, unlike the ideological objectors. He explained that “refusal of service due to declining morale began in the last few weeks, as the war has dragged on. Whereas ideological conscientious objection began right at the start of the war. There were soldiers on October 9th and 10th who realized where this war was heading and decided to refuse to participate.”
He added that “most of the soldiers I communicate with refuse service in general and do not agree to compromise by serving within Israel’s borders, even in tasks related to the home front command. There have also been a few cases of refusal of service on the northern border, and a significant number have refused service in detention facilities like ‘Shikma’ where atrocities are being committed.”
