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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (118987)	11/8/2003 8:03:53 PM
From: Bilow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Hi Nadine; Re: "No, I don't. You are hallucinating again. Show some evidence. Are you talking about the Geneva accords, signed by a bunch of incorrible leftists so thoroughly repudiated by the Israeli public that they don't even have seats in the Knesset anymore? Is that your "first simmerings"?" No, the first simmerings are the rejection of Sharon's tactics by the military. That would include not just Yaalon's statements, but also the 500 Israeli "refuseniks" and similar. The same thing happened in the past, and those periods were eventually followed with Israeli negotiations at those times. It's not a fast phenomenon. It takes years for these things to play out. For those who don't follow these things, here's an article: Refuseniks: Anomaly or Growing Crisis? April 4, 2002 The mini-revolt in the reserve ranks of the Israeli army began in earnest last January when 52 Israeli reserve soldiers declared they would no longer fight in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, claiming the then relatively modest maneuvers had less to do with Israeli security than with bullying the Palestinians. This week as Israeli occupation forces roam throughout the Palestinian territories, the so-called "refuseniks” have grown to a vocal 400. ... Historically such protests by Israeli soldiers have been rare. There were spotty instances of soldiers refusing to serve during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and during the Palestinian uprising against Israel in 1987-1993. ... A poll conducted for Israeli radio last February said 31 percent of Israelis supported the initial group of protesting soldiers. And the political significance of the turmoil in the ranks has not been lost on the Israeli leadership. Prime minister Ariel Sharon said that if soldiers did not carry out the decisions of an elected government, it would be the beginning of the end of democracy. ... Rufuseniks are not the only element potentially eroding the legendary Israeli citizen-soldier. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, 22 percent of all Israeli males eligible for the draft (at age 18 for three years of service) are granted exemptions -- an increase from 12 percent 20 years ago. Furthermore, the IDF reports that only one-third of all men eligible for reserve duty completes such duty. During the first six months of the current intifada, the number of reservists filing requests to defer their tour of duty doubled. ... newsmax.com 'Refuseniks' say loyalty has limits February 19, 2003 Chen Alon is decidedly not a pacifist. He served as a major in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) tank battalion from 1987 to 1992, and has been in the reserves ever since, putting on the uniform for one month each year. Not this year. This year Alon, 33, went to jail. And he wasn't alone. More than 500 other Israeli soldiers and officers are refusing, for reasons of conscience, to serve in the occupied territories. They are known as "the refuseniks." ... wfn.org September 26, 2003 The Israeli air force grounded 27 reservist pilots yesterday after they refused to take part in future assassinations of Palestinian militants. Israel's political leaders reacted furiously after some of the pilots appeared on television wearing their uniforms. ... phrconline.org -- Carl