Supreme Court on Occupation: "No comment"
On Monday, December 30, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition of
eight IDF reserve soldiers who are refusing to serve in the Occupied
Territories, but avoided making a "watershed" ruling of the legality of the
occupation, despite one being specifically sought in the context of
international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, corporate media appears to
forget that the Red Cross has ruled on that for decades.
The petition was brought by Lt. David Zoneshine (reserve), as part of the
Courage to Refuse movement. Usually, Israeli conscientious objectors are
simply jailed (and often harassed) without deferment to the Supreme Court.
In this case Lt. Zoneshine specifically requested a court-martial so as to
present legal defence and argue against imprisonment. Such an action
carries a much harsher punishment within the military judicial system and
following the failure of the petition, he has now been returned to jail,
along with many others already there.
Founded in January 2002, Courage to Refuse has grown to 511 members who
have all vowed to resist the Occupation, declaring their unwillingness to
fight "beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and
humiliate an entire people."
[ Israel IMC | Coverage in Hebrew | Courage to Refuse ]
