Israel: Prison Term for Objector Idan Barir

We received news from our friends in Combattants for Peace that one of their activitsts, Idan Barir, has been imprisoned for his refusal to perform reserves service in the 1967 Occupied Territories. Idan, 29, from the Tel Aviv suburb of Givataim, has been sentenced on Monday (7 Dec.) to 14 days of incarceration, which he is now serving in Military Prison no. 6 near Atlit.

In a statement he released on the occassion of his imprisonment, Idan says: “I refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories because the Occupation makes the State of Israel perform illegal actions, defend outlaws and turn ordinary people like me into subcontractors for its crimes ... Operation Cast Led and the loss of all proportion and all values that it embodied was the last straw that led to my refusal. The images I saw from this operation left me no choice but to refuse being part of the circle of bloodshed. One of the things the encourages me the most as I am heading for prison are the determined and devoted Palestinian activists of Combatants for Peace, who every day and every moment are my living proof that there is a partner. Conscientious objection is nothing alien to them either. They refuse to be part of the cycle of violence and participate in violent actions against Israelis, and tangibly exemplify the fact that my refusal is but one element in a much greater whole, encompassing many on both sides, who want change.”

Idan Barir is due to be released from prison on 18 December. His address in prison is: Idan Barir, Military Prison No. 6, Military Postal Code 01860, IDF, Israel, Fax: ++972-4-9540580.

New Profile: eMail, December 9, 2009.

Keywords:    ⇒ Conscientious Objection   ⇒ Idan Barir   ⇒ Israel   ⇒ Military   ⇒ Prosecution   ⇒ Soldiers   ⇒ War