> 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.