Yesh Gvul Accuses Attorney General of Intimidation and Harassment

The protest group Yesh Gvul (There’s a Limit) accused Attorney General Yosef Harish of “intimidation” Thursday, because he ordered a police investigation of a pamphlet it had distributed.

Yesh Gvul opposes compulsory military service in the administered territories for Israel Defense Force reservists.

Harish wrote to the national police Monday asking for an investigation of the pamphlet, titled “Pinkas Sherut” (Army Service).

According to Harish, the booklet contains “on the face of it, a call to refuse legally-sanctioned orders.”

Yesh Gvul spokesman Yishai Menuhin said Harish’s action amounted to an attack on freedom of speech.

The group is especially incensed because Harish sent a copy of his letter to the police and to the General Security Services, the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency.

Yesh Gvul claims its members have been harassed recently by Shin Bet agents outside of security-related situations.

Menuhin denied that the pamphlet contained incitement to refuse military service in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He said it was clearly marked “not for general distribution.”

Menuhin called it a “survival kit” intended for members of the protest movement that explains what sort of punishment they might face if they refuse to serve in the territories, what rank of officer can impose the punishment, physical conditions in prisons, prisoners’ rights and how to contact Yesh Gvul for aid.

“Harish’s move is a cynical abuse of an attempt to hark back to laws not used since 1948, designed to frighten us and shut us up,” Menuhin said.

To date, 126 IDF reservists have been jailed for refusing to serve in the territories. Another 600 of all ranks are reported to have signed a commitment not to serve. “They are all fully aware of the consequences,” the Yesh Gvul spokesman said.