conscientious objectors

Police officers arrest a demonstrator at a rally against Israel's war with Iran, at Habima Square, Tel Aviv, March 28, 2026. (Flash90)

Israeli police are violently suppressing our growing anti-war protests

As dissent over the Iran war spreads to the political center, demonstrators face crackdowns while opposition lawmakers are still nowhere to be seen.

By Iddo Elam April 1, 2026

Daniel Schultz. (Oren Ziv)

‘The most human thing to do’: Israeli teen sentenced to jail for army refusal

Daniel Schultz, 18, grew up believing Israel's military was ‘the most moral’ in the world. Now she’s going to prison to avoid serving in it.

By Oren Ziv October 28, 2025

Young Israelis burning their draft notices in protest of the genocide in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, July 15, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

Israeli army refusers defy harsher backlash to protest genocide

Facing longer prison terms and greater public hostility, a new cohort of conscientious objectors insist refusal is both a moral duty and an act of hope.

By Oren Ziv September 8, 2025

Latest

Israeli police officers arrest activist Itamar Greenberg at an anti-war protest in Tel Aviv, May 24, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

‘Next time, we’ll tattoo a Star of David on your face’

After his arrest, Israeli prison officers forced a Jewish anti-war activist to wear a pro-Israel shirt, a degrading practice often used against Palestinian prisoners.

By Oren Ziv June 2, 2025

Israeli soldiers seen on the border with Lebanon, northern Israel, December 3, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

The Israeli army is facing its biggest refusal crisis in decades

Over 100,000 Israelis have reportedly stopped showing up for reserve duty. While their reasons differ, the scale demonstrates the war’s waning legitimacy.

By Meron Rapoport April 11, 2025

Ella Keidar Greenberg. (Oren Ziv)

‘When our grandchildren ask what we did during the genocide, I’ll say I refused’

Ella Keidar Greenberg, a transgender refusenik, explains why prison is a small price to pay in the struggle against Israeli occupation and patriarchy.

By Oren Ziv March 24, 2025

Iddo Elam (left) and Soul Behar Tsalik (right), before entering prison for refusing mandatory conscription in the Israeli army, November 27, 2024. (Oren Ziv)

‘We must use every tool to resist’: Israeli teens jailed for refusing military service

Conscientious objectors Iddo Elam and Soul Behar Tsalik tell +972 why their wartime draft refusal is a stand for a better future for all in Israel-Palestine.

By Oren Ziv November 28, 2024

Conscientious objector Ben Arad, April 1, 2024. (Oren Ziv)

Israeli teen jailed for refusing draft: ‘I’m willing to pay a price for my principles’

Ben Arad, 18, is the third conscientious objector imprisoned since October 7. He tells +972 why Israel’s assault on Gaza propelled him into action.

By Oren Ziv April 5, 2024

Tal Mitnick. (Oren Ziv)

‘I refuse to take part in a revenge war’: Israel jails teen for opposing army draft

Tal Mitnick is the first Israeli conscientious objector to be imprisoned since Oct. 7. He explains why the current war has only reaffirmed his convictions.

By Oren Ziv December 28, 2023

Eight of the conscientious objectors who signed the "Youth Against Dictatorship" refusal letter. (Oren Ziv)

‘Youth Against Dictatorship’: Meet Israel’s new class of conscientious objectors

Eight new draft refusers speak about the occupation, the anti-judicial reform protests, and conscientious objection as a tool of protest.

By Oren Ziv September 5, 2023

Israeli soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade are sworn into the army, Ammunition Hill, Jerusalem, November 11, 2021. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

How mass army refusal is forcing Israelis to rethink their red lines

The dissent of thousands of reserve soldiers offers a rare opening for Israelis to question the army’s primary function: maintaining the occupation.

By Ariel Bernstein August 13, 2023

Israeli reserve soldiers, veterans and activists protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, against the government's planned reforms, February 10, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A mass wave of Israeli army refusal could be a transformative moment

Civil resistance against the government has put the Israeli military in an unparalleled crisis, presenting an opportunity for those fighting apartheid.

By Shimri Zameret March 5, 2023

Four Israeli conscientious objectors (left to right) Evyatar Moshe Rubin, Einat Gerlitz, Nave Shabtay Levin, and Shahar Schwartz, are seen outside the Tel Hashomer induction base before their planned announcement to refuse to enlist in the Israeli army, September 4, 2022. (Oren Ziv)

Israel is on the cusp of a wave of army refusal under far right rule

The incoming government has prompted a new crop of teens to question their upcoming role in one of Israel society’s central tenets.

By Oren Ziv December 11, 2022