How to Support the Israeli Refusers

1. Sending Letters of Support for Prisoners

Please send your messages of support to individual soldiers to their military prison address or to:
[Prisoner's name]
POB 16238
Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Messages of support could also be sent to all imprisoned objectors by e-mail, at dash@seruv.org.il

In addition to the letters of support, you can also send packages to prisoners (to counter the Israeli custom of sending gift packages to soldiers). You can use the POB above for that purpose. Note that there is no way to insert foodstuffs into the prison. Books, on the other hand, are the prisoner's best friends.

2. Letters to Authorities in Israel

It is recommended to send letters of protest on behalf of the objectors to:
Mr. Shaul Mofaz,
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
37 Kaplan St.,
Tel-Aviv 61909,
Israel.
E-mail: sar@mod.gov.il or
pniot@mod.gov.il
Fax: ++972-3-696-27-57 / ++972-3-691-69-40 / ++972-3-691-79-15

Copies can be sent to the commanders of the prisons at:
Commander of Military Prison No. 4,
Military Prison No. 4,
Military postal number 02507,
IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-957-52-76

Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney General:

Brig. Gen. Menachem Finklestein
Chief Military Attorney
Military postal code 9605
IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-569-43-70

In the cases of draft resisters and conscripts it would be especially useful to send your appeals to the Commander of the Induction Base in Tel-Hashomer. It is this officer that ultimately decides whether an objector is to be exempted from military service or sent to another round in prison:

Deborah Chassid Commander of Induction Base,
Tel-Hashomer
Military Postal Code 02718,
IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-737-60-52

You can also protest to the local Israeli embassy, you can find the addresses on the web: http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfh/Eng/Ntz/Ntz_Israel.asp?seek=1&let=85

Copies of appeals in can also be sent to:
Head of Incompatibles Unit Induction Base (Baqum)
Tel-Hashomer
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-737-67-05.

Addresses of additional military and government officials, as well as those of some Israeli media, to which you can send copies of your appeals, can be found at this web address: http://www.newprofile.org/english/Summery_CO_01.html (see the bottom of the page).

Please be aware that writing to the media at this time is more important than ever. A standard sample letter is available at the bottom of the same web page:
http://www.newprofile.org/english/Summery_CO_01.html#sample

However it would be advisable to adjust your letter to the particular circumstances of the case.

3. Letters to U.S. Elected Officials and Media

Contacts can be found here:

http://congress.org/congressorg/home/

Remember that faxes and snail mail letters are more effective than email.

Here is a sample letter which you can modify depending on who you send it to:

Dear ----------------

The news from the Occupied Territories and Israel is grim these days. The suffering of millions of Palestinians worsens daily. Suicide bombers continue to evade Israeli security, causing death and destruction in a most indiscriminate manner. In a very ominous development, the IDF recently killed and severely injured several non-violent activists of the International Solidarity Movement, and has now moved to completely block international volunteers from the territories. The "iron fist" policy of the Sharon government has been exposed as a total failure, serving only to continue the illegal Occupation and to deny the Palestinians the basic human rights the whole world, including President Bush and Sharon himself, has agreed they deserve. While Sharon characterized his government's policies as an occupation that must end, as yet he has not acted on these words.

Of course, you can't occupy without an army of occupation, and in this way the Israeli refuser movement in its myriad manifestations constitutes the most direct challenge to the Occupation from within Israeli society. The IDF recently stepped up its pressure on refusers by putting six young men, activists in the Shministim group, on trial for refusing to obey conscription. This trial makes a mockery of international standards for the treatment of conscientious objectors.

I wish to express my strong support of these heroic young men. International law and morality supports their arguments that the Occupation is illegal, that the order to serve comes under a "black flag," meaning that soldiers have the right -- and even obligation -- to refuse service that supports Occupation.

We urge you to pressure the Israeli government to:

1. End its persecution of these young men of conscience.
2. Implement a policy of conscientious objection that conforms to international norms and standards
3. Fully and immediately implement the actions they have undertaken by ratifying the "Road Map," without equivocation and excuses, as the first steps towards ending the Occupation.

[The last paragraph should be modified appropriately when sending to Israeli officials]

4. Get Involved

With the Refuser Solidarity Network.