conscription

A Haredi man watches as a fire burns during a protest against mandatory conscription into the Israeli army, Jerusalem, June 30, 2024. (Oren Ziv)

‘We’d rather die than enlist’: Haredi Jews vow to defy conscription

An Israeli High Court ruling has overturned a decades-old military exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews, leading thousands to rage against the state and their community’s politicians.

By Oren Ziv July 2, 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

Sofia Orr. (Oren Ziv)

‘People say I’m naive, antisemitic, a traitor’: Israeli teen jailed for draft refusal

Conscientious objector Sofia Orr explains why she never wavered in her decision despite the crackdown in Israel against opponents of the war.

By Oren Ziv February 26, 2024

Latest

Solidarity protesters and family members protest for Israeli conscientious objector Tair Kaminer, Prison 400, central Israel, January 23, 2016. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: Protest for conscientious objector outside IDF prison

Conscientious objector Tair Kaminer is being held in an Israel army women’s prison for refusing to take part in the occupation. Text by Haggai Matar Photos by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org Roughly 80 left-wing activists protested in support of jailed conscientious objector Tair Kaminer outside the IDF’s Prison 400 on Saturday. Two weeks ago Kaminer informed the…

By Haggai Matar January 25, 2016

A screenshot from the video for ‘Awal Bawal.'

Music video lambasts recruitment of Palestinians to Israel’s army

Prominent Palestinian musicians say recruiting minority ethnic and religious Arab groups into the army is part of Israel’s divide-and-conquer tactics, pushing young Palestinians to ‘side with the occupation’ and shrug off their national and historical identity. Two prominent Palestinian musicians released a hip-hop music video this week lambasting efforts to recruit young Palestinian citizens of…

By Rami Younis November 7, 2015

Israeli soldiers stand near the entrance to the divided village of Ghajar on the Lebanese-Israeli border, January 19, 2015. (Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

No permit, no entry

I thought of mandatory conscription as somewhat of an inconvenience — I never thought the army would be ‘fun.’ I never expected to serve at a checkpoint. I never expected to hate myself for it. By Lauren S. Marcus It was a balmy Saturday night in Tel Aviv. I stood on the smoking patio of a club which…

By +972 Magazine June 5, 2015

Druze conscientious objector Urawa Jaleb Saif, June 15, 2014, Haifa. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

[WATCH] Druze refusal in the Israeli army (part 1): A history lesson

According to the mainstream Israeli narrative the Druze population in Israel is loyal to and maintains an alliance with the state, the most famous element of which includes mandatory military service. But is that really the whole story? The first episode in a four-part series looking at Druze in Israel, their relationship with the security…

By Social TV November 16, 2014

Omar Sa’ad enters the Tiberias induction base where he is likely to be sentenced to prison (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

WATCH: Druze draft refuser sentenced to 6th prison term

Omar Sa’ad, an 18-year-old Druze citizen of Israel, was sentenced a sixth, 20-day prison term last week for refusing to be drafted into the Israeli army as a conscientious objector. Before his sixth sentencing, Sa’ad had already served 100 days in the Israeli army’s “Prison 6.” Dozens of supporters gathered on a hillside overlooking the prison…

By Social TV March 31, 2014