If all goes as planned, the Israeli army will begin withdrawing from much of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho on Dec. 13.
This fact has deeply upset Jewish residents of the territories, who fear that the Israel Defense Force’s withdrawal, and the simultaneous mobilization of a Palestinian police force, will jeopardize the security of the settlements.
Now it is being reported that a significant number of Israeli soldiers do not want to serve in the territories once the Palestinian self-rule accord goes into effect. A handful have reportedly asked their commanding officers to relieve them from duty in the territories come mid-December.
A military source said there have been “only a few cases” where soldiers have refused to obey such orders and that “they cannot be seen as a phenomenon in the IDF.”
Since the IDF makes no provisions for conscientious objectors, those soldiers who refuse to dismantle army bases in Jericho will likely receive the same punishment as those who refuse to patrol refugee camps in Gaza: imprisonment.
Amid reports that settlers groups are urging Israelis to refuse to serve in the territories, the IDF took the offensive.
On Tuesday, the army spokesman stated, “The IDF, as a people’s army, is subject to the decisions of the elected government and accordingly carries out its directives.”
“The IDF will not allow any refusal to carry out orders. The IDF does not accept conscientious objection,” the spokesman said.
‘RABIN WILL HAVE NO ARMY’
But several settler groups are asking Israeli soldiers to disregard the premier’s directives. These groups have been distributing letters, leaflets and petitions to Israelis on both sides of the Green Line, the unmarked border between Israel proper and the territories, asking for support in their fight against the peace plan.
One group, the Action Committee for the Abolition of the Autonomy Plan sent hundreds of letters to soldiers, police and Shin Bet members.
Drafted by West Bank settler leader Elyakim Haetzni, the letters said, “Orders that lead to the uprooting of Jewish villages are illegal and therefore such orders must not be obeyed.”
Haetzni said, “We appealed to these people as Jews, as human beings, as Zionists, and asked them to disobey such an order if they are placed in such a circumstance. If we succeed, Rabin will have no army to commit his crime.”
Yehiel Leiter, spokesman for the Yesha Council, the largest settlers group, said, “We are in favor of continuous service in the army, both for new recruits and reservists.
“At the same time, when it comes to specific orders which involve facilitating the Palestinian police force or withdrawal from either Jewish communities or army bases, we suggest that each person tap his own conscience.”
Personally, he said he would not “participate in either scenario.
“I believe that these orders are unjust and immoral, whether it’s to aid and abet terrorists or to take Jews from their homeland.
“I’d rather go to prison as a conscientious objector,” he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
