Israel jails 600 reservists

[Michael Pollak]

> Telegraph (London) - January 31, 2002

> Israel jails 600 reserve soldiers in crackdown on draft dodging

> By Inigo Gilmore in Jerusalem

[I couldn't find this story mentioned in any other paper, so I sent it on
to a skeptical, moderate Israeli friend of mine for comment.  He writes:]

Maybe it happened in such secretive ways that nobody knows about it here
besides that paper. However, over the last weeks there is a growing debate
about the morality and legality of Israeli soldierss behavior at the
crosspoints (ist that the right word?) especially since that letter by the
officers which put the army establishment pretty much on the defense for
the first time -- this at the same time that our Supreme Court rejected
the plea of some civil rights people to outlaw the assassinations
(something about the rule of war and self-defense).  But there are more
and more kids who do not want to do it anymore -- it's very much the
typical Israeli clash between colonialism and post-heroic society. The
letter got support not only from the extreme Left but has also become more
mainstream with people like like Ami Ayalon, a big ex-security honcho, who
was interviewed on TV and clearly said that the daily stuff going on at
the crosspoints is immoral and they only thing he regrets is that there
are not more soldiers refusing orders. You can see from the reaction from
the Right that they are surprised by that. It's the first time since
Sharon was elected and the break-down of Camp David that the right wing
unanimity is being shaken.

You ask me, it's the beginning of a turn-around. The economy is in
shambles, people are starting to realize the price they are paying for the
adventure and the deep seated moralism of this society (who always want to
be morally right as well as strong), and they are taking on this
government who thought that they could push the power game to its outer
limits.  This is the price you pay if you have a conscript army and
soldiers are coming from all kinds of corners of this society.