Who has media appeal? About two kinds of refusers

Adam Keller

  Earlier this week, the mainstream Israeli media gave unprecedented attention to Avi Biver; a soldier sympathizing with the extreme right who refused to take part in removing the band of provocateurs who holed up on the Gaza Strip shore and repeatedly assaulted the local Palestinian community, Biver's photo appeared on the front pages of the mass circulation papers, and the TV news broadcast an interview in which he set out his world view: "I refused to obey orders because my unit was involved in beating up fellow Jews.(...) Of course I would not refuse to participate in beating up Arabs. That, I would do gladly. After all, I joined the army in order to fight the Arabs". Once Biver was behind bars his father, who shares his views, took over the granting of interviews.   Biver was sentenced to a term of two months - one for refusing orders and the other for cursing and insulting his commanding officer.

  In contrast, the Israeli media has been almost entirely silent with regard to four refusers from the opposite side of the political and moral spectrum.
  Since early this year, these four - Eyal Barami, Alex Kon, Misha Hadar and Wissam Kabalan - are undergoing repeated terms of imprisonment for having declared their well-reasoned refusal to be part of an army of occupation: . (Kabalan is a member of the Druze community, which is subject both to the kind of conscription imposed on Jewish Israelis and to the kind of ethnic discrimination imposed on Arab ones). In addition, First Sergeant (res.) Yonathan Grossman is also behind bars, having refused to take up a term of occupation duty.
  This afternoon, some fifty activists arrived at the walls of Military Prison 4 at Tzrifin, south-east of Tel-Aviv, to express solidarity and try to draw attention to the case of these neglected prisoners of conscience. There were the youthful signatories of the Shministim (Highschool Seniors) Letter of Refusal - some of whom had already served long terms behind these same walls, while others await call-up dates and imprisonment in the near future. At their side were the veteran refusers of Yesh Gvul, some of whom had undergone prison terms before these youths were born, during the Lebanon War.
  A short walk through a street of neat suburban villas brought us to a wall of bare concrete topped with barbed wires. Then a further walk until a bend in the wall and "That's it, they are right behind this section wall".
  The wall was swiftly decorated with large banners, and everybody broke out in full-throated chanting: "Eyal, Eyal, have no regret - we'll break the occupation yet!" and "Occupation is terror - the refuser is the hero" and "We neither shoot nor cry afterwards - we refuse to be occupiers".
  Suddenly, a mobile phone rang. It was none other than Eyal Barami from the public phone on the other side of the wall: "We hear you loud and clear, all over the prison. Thank you!" - which was greeted by loud cheers.
More info   www.refuz.org.il     www.newprofile.org/showdata.asp?pid=877#e0.1

Help me to help Muhamad go to University
An appeal by Assia Ladizhinskaya

13 years ago I became friends with a 17year old Palestinian boy, named Muhamad. He lived in a village located 10 minutes from Jerusalem, where I used to live. Although we had language problems and a non-supporting environment for the relationship, we were good friends for 3 years, even when I served in the army. When he turned 20, the situation in Israel made it impossible for him to enter Jerusalem, and unfortunely our connection wasn't possible anymore. Ten years later I got to know an Israeli Arab friend, and asked him to try and find out how Muhamad is doing. I thought about him very often, wondering how is he ??“ living not an easy life in the occupied territories. My friend has found a phone number, and spoke to Muhamad's family.

Muhamad, now 30, has been for four years now in an Israeli jail, in Ashkelon. He has another 12 years to see the jail from inside, while not seeing any of his family members for more than three years now. They are not allowed to enter Israel - due to "security" reasons.. This is why he saw only once, behind glass, his child born after he got into prison. As an extremely intelligent human being, Muhamad struggles to keep himself occupied, to be ready for the freedom to come, and not losing the thirst for life, though seeing no friendly face for years. He was accepted to the University program for prisoners - but has no ability to pay for the studies. His family is trying to collect the money - but university fees are high in Israel amounting to what  in the Occupied Territories can support a family for a year..

I have known Muhamad as a child, that couldn't quietly sit in a school class and study, while there is a war outside his door, and people are dying. It is a sad occasion that he is now forced to sit down. But it is a first opportunity for him to read and get some education, and.. he's eager to get it. He applied to study History and International Relations, as a step for understanding the chaos he was born into.
Please help him to get something good out of these bad years. Any donation is helpful.

for more details:
Assia <assia6@netvision.net.il>
phone number: 00-972-544-867-890
Donations earmarked for "Muhamad study fund" can be sent to The Other Israel, pob 2542, Holon 58125, Israel. Or via Paypal to <otherisr@actcom.co.il>

"I will shoot two bullets into your leg."

Tami Goldshmidt and Aya Kanyuk

A young man, originally from Jenin, who lives today in Ramallah and works in A-Ram in a lab where dentures are made, is not allowed to pass because he is from Jenin.  From today onward, no one from Jenin or Tulkarem is allowed to pass. "Why?" he asks the soldier. "Why, what will I do?" This is his work, what can he do? "If I see you in A-Ram, " says the soldier, who is protecting us from terror attacks and is upholding the law, in his words, "I will shoot two bullets into your leg."

And this is only the less shocking part of one day's MachsomWatch report
read more  http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3946.shtml