Israeli refuseniks speak
Men seek peace in West Bank, Gaza Strip
Sam Kramer
Issue date: 11/11/04 Section: Campus News
On Monday night in Schofield Auditorium, dozens of students took a break from news coverage of the conflict in Iraq to learn more about a conflict many foreign policy experts say underscores all issues in the Middle East.
For thousands of years, the Palestinians and Israelis have battled over sacred territory. Since the end of World War II, when displaced Jews were given Israel as a sanctuary, they have fought with the Palestinians over the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Two young Israeli men, Noam Bahat and Shimri Zamaret, spoke to the audience about their decision to refuse to perform their mandatory service in the Israeli army because of their beliefs that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is wrong.
The two refuseniks were among a group of young Israelis jailed for their decisions.
A month and a half ago, the two men were released from prison and have been touring the United States to tell their stories.
Both men said they could not serve because they did not believe in what the Israelis were doing to the Palestinians. They could not force themselves to be part of an army that occupies another peoples' land and neglects human rights.
Zamaret told the story of a man he knew who served and eventually became so overwhelmed by guilt and confusion about what he was doing that he considered taking his life.
"He made this rational, logical decision that these things are so awful that he preferred to die than to continue on doing all those things," Zamaret said.
In the last four years of the conflict, 131 houses have been destroyed, 6,700 Israelis and 28,000 Palestinians have been injured and 925 Israelis and 9,936 Palestinians have been killed, he said.
"I realized that my country is an occupying nation," Bahat said. "When I realized that, I knew that I must do everything I can to stop this occupation to make sure that both countries would stop paying that very high price."
He explained that once he had made that decision, he knew he had to refuse to serve in the army.
For thousands of years, the Palestinians and Israelis have battled over sacred territory. Since the end of World War II, when displaced Jews were given Israel as a sanctuary, they have fought with the Palestinians over the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Two young Israeli men, Noam Bahat and Shimri Zamaret, spoke to the audience about their decision to refuse to perform their mandatory service in the Israeli army because of their beliefs that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is wrong.
The two refuseniks were among a group of young Israelis jailed for their decisions.
A month and a half ago, the two men were released from prison and have been touring the United States to tell their stories.
Both men said they could not serve because they did not believe in what the Israelis were doing to the Palestinians. They could not force themselves to be part of an army that occupies another peoples' land and neglects human rights.
Zamaret told the story of a man he knew who served and eventually became so overwhelmed by guilt and confusion about what he was doing that he considered taking his life.
"He made this rational, logical decision that these things are so awful that he preferred to die than to continue on doing all those things," Zamaret said.
In the last four years of the conflict, 131 houses have been destroyed, 6,700 Israelis and 28,000 Palestinians have been injured and 925 Israelis and 9,936 Palestinians have been killed, he said.
"I realized that my country is an occupying nation," Bahat said. "When I realized that, I knew that I must do everything I can to stop this occupation to make sure that both countries would stop paying that very high price."
He explained that once he had made that decision, he knew he had to refuse to serve in the army.
