Yigal Rosenberg and Yair Hilu, signers of an open letter by high school seniors refusing to do military service in the Occupied Territories, are back in prison.
Yigal Rosenberg has been sentenced to a fifth term! Yair Hilu has been sentenced to a fourth!
Dear friends,
Yigal Rosenberg and Yair Hilu, members of The Forum in Support of Conscientious Objectors, have consistently refused to serve in Israel's army. They reported on Monday, May 13, to the 'incompatibility committee.' It sentenced them to new prison terms of 14 days. They express their concern for the fate of the Palestinians. Such a stand is new and important, reflecting true internationalism.
The army is apparently trying to break their spirit. These 18-year-olds suffer from two kinds of imprisonment, for the silence of the media is also a prison. Please help us to break it!
Yigal and Yair are among 120 other young refusers who demand an end to the use of a double standard for Jews and Arabs. Their stand does not threaten Israeli society. Quite to the contrary, they give this society a chance to confront its failures.
What can you do?
Encourage the prisoners with letters!
Their addresses in prison are as follows:
Yigal Rosenberg, Personal Military ID 7303585 Military prison No. 4 Military postal code 02507 IDF, Israel
Yair Hilu Personal Military ID 724070 Military prison No. 4 Military postal code 02507 IDF, Israel
The Army usually moves the refusers to Prison # 6. It also holds the mail, in many cases. If you want to be sure that the prisoners receive your letter, you may send a closed envelope also to The Forum in Support of Conscientious Objectors, POB 41199, Jaffa 61411, Israel, and we will take care to pass it on to them.
We also urge you to send letters of protest to:
Mr. Binyamin Ben Eliezer Minister of Defense Ministry of Defense 37 Kaplan St. Tel Aviv 61909 Israel e-mail: mailto:sar at mod.gov.il Fax: 972-3-696-27-57
Other Forum News:
These days, Forum members are distributing thousands of flyers to youngsters entitled: "Just Say No". People who wish to join our distribution team or receive copies should contact us.
We are also working on two solidarity evenings with conscientious objectors: On May 29 in the Hotentot Gallery, Haifa, and On June 3 in Camera Obscura, Tel Aviv.
For details please call Dani Ben Simhon at 051-596492.