conscientious objectors

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

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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

Left to right: Evyatar Moshe Rubin, Einat Gerlitz, Nave Shabtay Levin, and Shahar Schwartz, conscientious objectors refusing to enlist in the Israeli army, August 2022. (Oren Ziv)

‘Refusing is the minimum’: Why these Israeli teens are objecting to army service

Ahead of imprisonment, four conscientious objectors share their reasons for refusing conscription and their hopes of inspiring opposition to apartheid.

By Oren Ziv September 2, 2022

Conscientious objector Shahar Schwartz, 18, before entering military prison for his refusal to serve in the Israeli army. (Oren Ziv)

Israel jails conscientious objector for 10 days over his refusal to enlist

18-year-old Shahar Schwartz was sentenced after telling the military's conscientious objectors committee that he will not serve in an occupying army.

By Oren Ziv August 19, 2022

Rachel Beitarie, Executive Director of the left-wing Israeli NGO Zochrot, sits in front of the Jaffa Clock Tower. Around 95% of Jaffa's Palestinian population fled or were expelled during the Nakba. (Oren Ziv)

The Israeli left has broken the Nakba taboo. Will the right of return be next?

The past year has seen many left-wing Israeli groups looking beyond the occupation to confront the legacies of 1948, but they remain divided over redressing the exile of Palestinian refugees through return.

By Ben Reiff June 23, 2022

Israeli conscientious objector Shahar Perets. (Oren Ziv)

Conscientious objector: ‘I don’t want to wear a uniform that symbolizes violence and pain’

Shahar Perets, who was sentenced to prison for refusing to join the Israeli army, talks about meeting Palestinians for the first time, her visits to the West Bank, and how Israeli society represses the occupation.

By Oren Ziv September 1, 2021