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| New Book: "Refusenik!"- for the first time, an anthology of refusenik testimonies from 4 decades | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Info about the book Military conscription and democratic norms do not make easy bedfellows. The right of the state to give orders to its citizens can clash with the citizen's right and duty to exercise moral and political judgement. In the case of Israel, hundreds of soldiers called up to take part in controversial campaigns or assignments (like the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, or policing duties in the Palestinian territories) have refused orders. In the current Palestinian intifada, over a thousand such refusals have been registered, many of the 'refuseniks' serving prison sentences rather than taking part in what they regard as an unjust occupation in defence of illegal Jewish settlements, an occupation that threatens the peaceful existence of their fellow Israelis. In this inspirational book, Peretz Kidron, himself a refusenik who made this tough choice, gives us the stories, experiences, viewpoints, even poetry, of these courageous conscripts who believe in their country, but not in its actions beyond its borders. Here is a great spectrum of Israelis -- officers and ordinary footsoldiers, men and women, from every ethnic background and class. Here is the story of Yesh Gvul ('there is a limit'...), the organization that has long served refuseniks as a voice and campaigning vehicle, as well as the newer refusal groups. We read about the cautious, even embarrassed, response of the Israeli authorities. And we see the wider implications of the philosophy of selective refusal - which is no means the same thing as pacifism -- for conscientious citizens in every country where conscription still exists. Here is a real model for the peace movement in Israel and worldwide. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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