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	Breaking the Silence:  
	Women Israeli Occupation Soldiers Speak Out 
	 
	By Stephen Lendman 
	Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org, February 14, 2010 
	  
	"Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli occupation 
	forces soldiers that collects anonymous testimonies of soldiers who served 
	in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada." They recount 
	experiences that deeply affected them, including 
	abusing Palestinians, looting, destroying property, and other 
	practices "excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and 
	unique cases."   They disagree in describing "the depth of corruption 
	which is spreading in the Israeli military" to which its society and most 
	Western observers turn a blind eye. Since 2004, "Breaking the Silence" 
	collected over 650 testimonies, including from combat veterans. Most  
	remain anonymous to avoid recriminations, but feel compelled to go public - 
	to "demand accountability regarding Israel's military actions in the 
	Occupied Territories perpetrated by us in our name."   Last year, a 
	collection of 54 damning testimonies from 30 Israeli soldiers was published. 
	On January 31, a new publication was released titled, "Breaking the Silence: 
	Women Soldiers' Testimonies," a collection of 96 stories from dozens of 
	women who served in the Territories since 2000.    On January 29, 
	Israel's ynetnews.com reported that "Female soldiers break their silence," 
	revealing accounts of "systematic humiliation of 
	Palestinians, reckless and cruel violence, theft, killing of innocent people 
	and cover-up."   On July 15, 2009, Reuters reported that 
	participating Israeli occupation forces, or 
	IOF (incorrectly dubbed as IDF) soldiers in the recent Gaza 
	conflict said "they were urged by commanders to shoot first and worry later 
	about sorting out civilians from combatants. Accordingly, they (said, they) 
	went into Gaza with guns blazing," with comments like the following typical 
	of others:    -- "If you're not sure, kill;"   -- "Better hit an 
	innocent than hesitate to target an enemy;"    -- "In urban warfare, 
	anyone is your enemy; no innocents;" and   -- "They kept repeating to 
	us that this is war and in war opening fire is not restricted....There was a 
	clear feeling, and this was repeated whenever others spoke to us, that no 
	humanitarian consideration played any role in the army at present."   
	In his book titled, "The 'Good Soldier' on Trial: A Sociological Study of 
	Misconduct by the US Military Pertaining to Operation Iron Triangle, Iraq," 
	Professor Stjepan Mestrovic documented disturbing evidence of illegal US 
	rules of engagement (ROE); namely, that commanders order troops to commit 
	war crimes, citing an Army brigade colonel saying kill every military-aged 
	Iraqi on sight, even civilians posing no threat.   Yet when the truth 
	comes out, low-ranking soldiers are blamed, prosecuted, and punished to 
	absolve superiors up the chain of command to the top. Mestrovic correctly 
	observed "that a crime becomes a 'war crime' when it involves the 
	government, which is to say, when a crime is the result of unlawful social 
	policies and plans."   According to noted sociologist Emile Durkheim, 
	"The immorality of war depends entirely on the leaders who willed it - the 
	soldier and even those government officials who had no part in the decision 
	remain innocent."   It's true in America, Israel and all sides in 
	times of war.   Anonymous Testimonies of Female Combatants   
	Like their male counterparts, courageous female soldiers went public, 
	"shed(ding) additional light on what happens in the back yard of the State 
	of Israel," that what once was "exceptional," is now the norm. As a result, 
	Israeli society is sliding down "an ethical slope together with the entire 
	military system."   A Border Patrol First Sergeant said:   
	"Somehow, a female combatant has to prove herself more, on the ground too. 
	Again a female combatant who can lash out is a serious fighter. Capable. A 
	ball-breaker. There was one with me when I got there, she'd been there long 
	before, she was - wow, everyone talked about what grit she had, because she 
	could humiliate Arabs without batting an eyelash. That was the thing to do." 
	  She had a good reputation in her company until in the field and wasn't 
	tough. Too "wimpy," (she said), unlike "guys (who) need to prove themselves 
	less in this respect....We (talked about) tough female combatant(s) having 
	no problem beating up Arabs....Take a look at that one, a real 
	'ball-breaker,' see her humiliating them, slapping them, what a slap she 
	gave that guy! You hear this kind of talk all the time."   A Hebron 
	Regional Brigade/Education Corp officer said she witnessed two soldiers 
	"pacing around a detainee - blindfolded, his hands shackled behind his back. 
	Suddenly I see that one of the guys simply approaches him, and without any 
	warning, knee-kicks him in the head."    She leapt at him saying, 
	"You're coming with me now," but he didn't understand how a female soldier 
	could order him around. Her rank concealed under a fleeze jacket, "He shoved 
	me off, this was a big guy - he pushed me away and ran into the barracks." 
	Complaining to the deputy commander, she was told "Let it go, it's 
	pointless." She had a hard time accepting it.   A Border Patrol First 
	Sergeant recounted incidents of violence, including harassment, keeping 
	Palestinians on their feet, in formation made to sing and hop, and if anyone 
	laughs he gets punched. "It can last for hours" against anyone, including 
	women, children and the elderly. "Some (of us) had absolutely no restraint 
	and abused anyone."   A Gaza Division Education Corps Officer 
	described the "everyday routine of combat service," saying only in 
	retrospect did she realize "to what extent I had not been a human being out 
	there....it's like a movie with a lot of death around you, an unreasonable 
	reality, with soldiers doing inhumane things to others....doing irrational 
	things to other people."   Another Border Patrol First Sergeant 
	recalled chasing a Palestinian who was ordered to halt when he began 
	running. Even though he wasn't a threat, they shot and killed him. "An 
	investigation was carried out. First they said it was really an unjustified 
	killing. He was a child about nine years old....Eventually the army claimed 
	he was doing something (like) checking escape spots for terrorists....And 
	that was that, the file was closed."   An Erez Crossing Sergeant said 
	"there was this procedure, before you released a Palestinian back into the 
	Strip, you'd take him into the tent and beat him up." Commanders took 
	part....even if I let an illegal go at my side of the checkpoint, until he'd 
	get to Gaza he'd go through hell. (He'd) be stopped along the way and every 
	soldier would take his turn beating him. Commanders, too."   A Border 
	Patrol Seam Zone (between the Green Line and Separation Wall) First Sergeant 
	recalled "patroll(ing) the Fence and a group of tiny children were standing 
	near (it) and throwing these little stones at the vehicles of the fence 
	construction firm." They weren't harming anyone, but the commander ordered, 
	"Okay, load rubber ammo," so she loaded and explained that bullets come in 
	units of three, and soldiers peel off the rubber "because that hurts more." 
	It also kills or badly wounds.   She fired low, in the ground near 
	their feet, angering her operations officer who took her gun and said, "You 
	don't know how to shoot." She responded, "Where do you want me to shoot? He 
	came along, fired....Straight at the belly. Fortunately he missed. But he 
	fired straight at their belly, and of course they ran."   A Jenin 
	Border Patrol First Sergeant said she felt guilty about not having said 
	anything about what went on, but believes "it wouldn't have made any 
	difference....There is still an air of violence so when "things get 
	boring....let's invent an incident." Make one up. "Get on the radio and 
	report: Stones have been thrown at me on this street. And then you detain 
	someone and start questioning him....Naturally, when they're caught, they're 
	beaten up" even if nothing happened.   An Etzion Regional Brigade 
	Sergeant said stone-throwers "get beaten up and taken to brigade 
	headquarters....They beat the hell out of (them) or take (them) to division 
	headquarters....If kids throw stones, all the shops in the village would be 
	shut down."   A Hebron Hills Border Patrol First Sergeant spoke about 
	daily roadblocks and her position as a crew commander. "You've got to throw 
	your weight around, show authority....I mean, I've never raised a hand 
	against (Palestinians). There are other ways to make them understand. Once 
	we were blocking a certain road and there were about ten vans with 20 - 30 
	passengers each. (They) have to stand waiting....everyone gets off with 
	their belongings, their permits, and they're checked one by one. (At times) 
	there were detector dogs, trackers, explosive and weapons detectors that 
	would join us."   She'd "start checking them (all). They would wait 
	inside the cars." Everyone is checked on the police computer to learn who's 
	authorized to drive. Those who aren't are detained and turned over to the 
	police. They're fined and if they don't report to a traffic police station 
	in two day "there would be an arrest warrant against (them) and more fines." 
	The idea is to teach them a lesson and make them pay so "they'd not mess 
	with us any more."   A Hebron Sergeant complained that she wasn't cut 
	out to be a combatant, then explained that when "An Arab says something to 
	her that he shouldn't, for example - she calls some four guys from her 
	company to come handle him (and they) beat him to a pulp." She then detains 
	the person.   She said once when she was on alert, there was a boom. 
	"We heard a shot and of course I was on patrol so we ran over to see what 
	happened, and there's a girl soldier standing like this, facing an Arab 
	bleeding on the ground, and she says something like: 'He tried to attack 
	me.' We look at him and he's shot in the belly (and) we ask her. What did he 
	do? How did he attack you?"    She was confused and didn't know what 
	to say, then "told some story about asking him for his ID and he wouldn't 
	show it, and then he attacked her and somehow she tried to get away and 
	turned around and shot him in the belly, something of that sort. You look 
	and see an Arab who's been shot at point-blank range and he's holding his 
	ID. And you say to her: Listen, this is impossible. Your story doesn't add 
	up."   Apparently he approached to hand her his ID. "She then shoved 
	him off with her rifle" and shot him in the belly. Instead of saying what 
	have I done, we hear her saying he tried to attack me. This girl finally 
	admitted he really got too close so she shot him....And she was not 
	prosecuted....She was re-assigned to the Military Police. That was her 
	punishment."   The commander tried to cover up the incident. He said 
	"Just stop it! Stop asking her what she means! Enough of this! She's telling 
	you he tried to attack her, what's there not to understand?"   So you 
	can shoot someone, spit in their face and never get caught. "I think that 
	this determination 'never to get caught' really shows that what I'm doing is 
	wrong - so I mustn't get caught....It means everyone was pretty much aware 
	of what went on there, and that it's not right." But soldiers do it all the 
	time.   Another Hebron Sergeant talked about Palestinian children 
	fearing Israeli ones because they threw stones at them as they passed by. 
	And their parents said nothing. It became routine. "Since the one (throwing 
	stones) was Jewish and the other Palestinian, it seemed all right....And the 
	Palestinian had done nothing. I know this kid's parents teach him to hate 
	Palestinians. I'm a Jewish Israeli soldier, and I'm supposed to be against 
	the Arabs who are my enemies, (but I think) the Jews are wrong. So wait a 
	minute, no, I have to switch my mind and go on hating Arabs and justifying 
	the Jews.  But wait," it's not okay.   So "on the one hand you're 
	angry at your own people for being here....On the other hand, you also hate 
	the Arabs because they kill your buddies and give you a hard time." So you 
	end up hating everyone. "I'll swear" and spit at Arabs....it was a cool 
	thing to do. I mean I can't go around boasting of having arrested anyone, or 
	be proud of having caught a terrorist....But I can spit at them and 
	humiliate and ridicule them."   Another Hebron Border Patrol Sergeant 
	recalled going on a weapons search mission at 2AM. "So we entered these 
	people's home, the father opens the door for us, in his robe, and the mother 
	and grandmother and two little kids woke up too....The kids were absolutely 
	horrified. The soldiers turned their whole house inside out, I never 
	imagined it like this....you can open a drawer and throw all of its contents 
	out, and leave it like that....The soldiers go on, opening and trashing and 
	trashing just about everything in the house....And we didn't find a thing. 
	Nothing."   They spent a hour "and were going nuts because (we) were 
	certain, (we) had information, I don't know what, (we) were confident (we) 
	were going for a find. So (we) trashed and trashed and left not one thing in 
	its place. Then we went on to the second house, and I couldn't understand 
	why we do it this way. And that was the first moment I realized why we are 
	looked at like that, and why we are so hated. You enter in the most 
	disgusting manner, without a drop of humanity....And the owner keeps 
	pleading, saying don't do this to me....I just wanted to get out of there, 
	just get out." When the men entered, they kicked the father in front of the 
	kids.   A Hebron Sergeant told of an Israeli girl who saw an Arab walk 
	by so "she grabbed this huge rock and ran toward him, leapt and boom! She 
	banged his head with it....And this man was just an old man walking along 
	the street. Then she started yelling: 'Yuck, his blood is all over me, so 
	sickening!' (Then a soldier) charged at him (for yelling at the girl) and 
	punched him as though he was threatening (her). I stood there in absolute 
	shock."   A Hebron Medical Corp Lieutenant recalled cases where 
	Palestinians were denied aid. "In Hebron, on the seam-line when a 
	Palestinian got hit, the first procedure was to summon the Red 
	Crescent....The medics of Kiryat Arba - Hebron do not approach Palestinians 
	to give them aid." Once, she acted on her own initiative, spoke to the 
	division medical officer in charge, "and he yelled at me, no way! We don't 
	confirm such events. So I still activated MDA Kiryat Arba, sent them in 
	after all, in other words lied to them and said it was authorized, and yes, 
	go on, take the guy in. I got yelled at on every possible echelon later 
	on....The division medical officer (told her) to forget it. Who 
	cares....Yes....Right. He's a doctor."   A Seam Zone First Sergeant 
	told about women combatants slapping Palestinian women. "There were two of 
	them who really enjoyed hitting out. But the guys, too, had no problem 
	slapping women. If she would scream they would (say) shut up and slap her. 
	It was routine violence there. Again, there were guys who didn't, but 
	everyone knew about this."   A Border Patrol First Sergeant was teamed 
	"with some guy, we stopped someone (and) the soldier said: What are you 
	laughing at? The guy was not laughing, (but the soldier said) I'm not a 
	Border patrolman, let's fight. Obviously the guy is not going to hit him 
	back, only pleaded and pleaded with him to let him go." The soldier kept 
	taunting him to punch back, so "he pick(ed) up his rifle and start(ed) using 
	it to hit the guy....This was routine there."   A Gaza Erez Crossing 
	Sergeant described it, saying "It's constructed as a vast compound with lots 
	of concrete ledges, but not too high. The checkpoint is huge. It's a giant 
	installation you can see from very far off....you can always see the 
	Palestinians moving around....It seemed to me like a jail....there are these 
	metal pens, with people, soldiers scattered along several strategic points. 
	Everyone's armed of course....It's all metal doors, a highly upgraded 
	checkpoint as it were, hardly any human contact at all."   
	Palestinians queue up when the gates open at 3AM. "There's already crowding 
	around one AM, they'll wait and quarrel and all. Because they're not told 
	how many will be allowed in....Back in the good old days....tens of 
	thousands came through....(Now) there are no humanitarian work permits....In 
	short, regulations have gotten much tighter since I got there."   A 
	Gaza Education Corp Lieutenant said she was shocked by a video showing "some 
	old Palestinian farmer who got too close to the (Separation) fence, and you 
	simply see the tank shell coming and blowing him up....It doesn't make sense 
	and it's inhuman." There were many other cases like it. "Cases where 
	Palestinians didn't mean to infiltrate or anything like that, as it came out 
	in inquiries after the fact, but were shot" for being under suspicion....it 
	looked to me like some kind of video game, you're not really seeing a human 
	being." It's like "it's not happening."   A Golani Brigade Sergeant 
	said she attended a class to learn some Arabic, basic things like "open fire 
	instructions (and) Stop! Stop or I shoot!" Five minutes "into class time, a 
	guy stands up (and said to the instructor): "Listen, cutie, forget it....We 
	don't talk. We shoot. Then maybe we talk." They see no one as innocent, so 
	all Palestinians are fair game.   A Menashe Regional Brigade First 
	Sergeant spoke of abused detainees brought in, soldiers guarding them, 
	ordering them around, kicking them. "There were two detainees shackled, 
	blindfolded, the works, surrounded by at least fifteen guys who were 
	harassing them...It's fine, because they're Arabs so they're terrorists." 
	  An Erez Crossing Sergeant said "It's terrible at the 
	checkpoint....Palestinians came with bags of clothes, they'd be 
	ripped....women are stripped" to their undergarments by female soldiers but 
	not gently....they do this all the time." Some are entirely stripped. It's 
	very degrading.   A Qalandiya Checkpoint Sergeant called her 
	checkpoint duty "very shocking. I had a hard time....I felt uneasy from the 
	first, found it difficult to think about."   A Hebron Sergeant said 
	"one girl....slapped an Arab. He answered (her) rudely, so (she) gave him a 
	slap in the face....the mere thought was just shocking. Other girls said 
	they had done it and threatened them. One aimed her rifle at his face and 
	coked it right there. I was shocked that they were my friends....guys do it 
	often, cocking their rifles while threatening children, grownups, everyone." 
	  A Gaza Lieutenant said that to cope you have to see humans as not quite 
	human. "It means if you want to function, you have to protect yourself 
	somehow. You mustn't feel too much. You have to be quite mechanical, quite 
	detached. So I don't think (of Palestinians) as bad people or beasts" or our 
	soldiers who abuse them. "I don't justify it for a second, but I think I 
	would go crazy under such circumstances....I can imagine why a soldier 
	might....beat up people, go home and beat up the whole world....because 
	they've lost it much more than we have....They're constantly in this state 
	of tremendous anger that is directed toward anything."   A Hebron 
	Sergeant said a soldier on this post attacked an Arab boy and broke his leg. 
	"I don't know who, and I don't know how it happened, but I do know that two 
	of our guys got him into a Border Patrol jeep, and hardly two weeks later 
	this kid was moving around with his two arms and two legs in plaster casts, 
	in a wheelchair."   A Hebron Medical Corp Lieutenant described her 
	experience as "Lots of blood. A nightmare....I only wanted to erase 
	everything. Later, after a while, it began to pop up again." In the 
	Territories, it's "a different world, different rules, different manners." 
	  An Erez Crossing Sergeant said inspections are frustrating and scary. 
	"I know the Border patrolmen take out their frustrations on the 
	Palestinians. They are armed, it's the easiest way out. The slave with the 
	scepter, kind of. I mean, you have the gun, the Palestinian doesn't. Usually 
	he's holding stuff because he's been at the checkpoint since 2 in the 
	morning, and he hasn't seen his wife for three months already and he can't 
	even remember his kids' names." Still the Border patrolmen make fun of them 
	behind their backs. And they humiliate them and tear their belongings. "I 
	think it's horrible. I thought it was horrible then, too."   A Hebron 
	Sergeant said "we were the good guys. The Border patrolmen were the bad 
	guys. They would settle accounts in a big way. As for hitting - they were on 
	jeeps the whole time, less on foot, so they would simply take people into 
	their jeeps and beat them to a pulp. You'd see a jeep pass by and a person 
	thrown out of it suddenly....thrown into the street.....They would check 
	someone right next to me and do it brutally....They were about dominance." 
	  A Seam Zone First Sergeant said another patrolwoman with her talked 
	about women combatants being more violent than men. Some kids came along 
	with bags, and she called them out to come over. "She opened their bags and 
	found this kind of fly-swat inside. So she (told them to run) up and down 
	the hill in ten seconds. They're scared....So they ran (but she) hit him 
	with that fly-swat. The kid began to cry."   But she kept harassing 
	them and threatened to beat them up. Finally she let them go. Guys did it, 
	too, so she asked them "why are you beating up this kid....treat him like a 
	human being so he won't want to blow himself up on you tomorrow. There were 
	guys who did listen, not everyone wants to beat up Arabs. But there was 
	definitely that atmosphere and it was totally routine.   An Erez 
	Crossing Sergeant explained ways of harassing Palestinians, such as saying: 
	"You want to pass tomorrow? Bring me a pack of cigarettes" or food or 
	something else to take from them. "It was the norm."   "You go down to 
	the checkpoint and your bullet-proof vests have "Death to Arabs" written on 
	them. "Stuff like that." You do all sorts of things to humiliate them and 
	brag "about all the loot" you bring back. "The Arabs are the enemy. The more 
	you make them suffer, the better."   A Hebron Sergeant said "There was 
	this one single time I harassed an Arab brutally....There were lots of 
	soldiers punishing Arabs," making them do all sorts of things, including 
	threatening them with pointed weapons or making them wait for hours.   
	A Jenin Sergeant said she was with her squadron-commander who shot a kid 
	riding a bicycle near the Separation Wall. Other soldiers killed another boy 
	when he got scared and ran away. She related other incidents of firing 
	rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators. She herself was on standby and 
	didn't shoot.   Other incidents involved shackling, blindfolding and 
	slapping boys who threw stones, then "dry them out in the sun." Property was 
	also destroyed and concussion grenades, tear gas, and rubber bullets used 
	freely against demonstrators.   A Hebron Sergeant said some commanders 
	and soldiers talk about human dignity, "that it's really important. But when 
	it comes to facts on the ground, it's all bullshit. People behaved as they 
	pleased." They disregard people, shove them, curse them, harass them in 
	other ways.   A Hebron Sergeant said soldiers' "brutality comes out in 
	the toughest situations. And I think the Border patrolmen I lived with for 
	half a year were people whose very language is violence. They also 
	communicate violently with each other. Verbal aggression, plenty of dirty 
	talk (and) that's how they behave....Whether it's the Palestinians or each 
	other....The rules are just for appearances. There are no rules."   
	Whenever there's an incident investigation, it ends with no conclusion. Some 
	of the things gotten away with are awful because you're in a position to do 
	anything you want - harassing, beatings, shootings, anything, including 
	against children. "It's horrifying," but goes on all the time.   
	Abuses in Times of War   The above abuses happened during the second 
	Intifada. During wars they're far worse. On February 3, The (London) 
	Independent's Donald Macintyre quoted an Israeli commander saying: "We 
	rewrote the rules of war for Gaza." As a result, civilians were freely 
	targeted. People posing no threat were shot or attacked by drones or 
	helicopters. A junior officer said the policy followed the 2006 Lebanon war 
	to assure "literally zero risk to the soldiers."   It was Israel's 
	Dahiya Doctrine, named after the Beirut suburb the IDF destroyed in the 
	conflict. The idea was to treat civilians the same as combatants, an 
	approved plan according to Northern Command General Gabi Eisenkot at the 
	time. Southern Command General Yoav Galant used the strategy to "send Gaza 
	decades into the past," with no regard for the safety or welfare of 
	civilians or the entire infrastructure of the territory. Major General Giora 
	Eiland said it was to destroy "the national infrastructure and (inflict) 
	intense suffering among the population."   Dahiya tactics were central 
	to the overall war strategy to inflict mass civilian deaths, injuries, 
	destruction, and human suffering on 1.5 million Gazans. Israel waged its 
	most brutal offensive since its 1948 War of Independence. Still under siege, 
	Gaza is prevented from recovering, and its people keep suffering.   
	Israeli Conscription   Israel alone requires men and women to perform 
	military duty. In February 1948, all 19 - 25 year old married and single 
	males became obliged to serve. In August 1948, conscription of single and 
	married women without children became mandatory - to "tak(e) care of the 
	(IDF's) special needs (serving as) nurses, signal operators, drivers, 
	clerks, quartermasters, cooks, and more." Additional roles today include 
	intelligence, technology, combat support, and as volunteer combatants.    
	During Israel's War of Independence, women performed combat service. 
	Afterward, they were exempted until the late 1990s. In 2001, its first 
	female fighter pilot graduated. In the 2006 Lebanon war, 14% of female 
	reserves saw combat duty, many as medics.    During the British 
	Mandate, the Haganah operated as a paramilitary force. In May 1948, the 
	Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) replaced it, comprised of the Army, Air Force 
	and small Navy.    Today, Israel's 1986 National Defence Service Law 
	is the legal basis for conscription. It requires all Israeli citizens and 
	permanent residents to serve, both men and women. However, the Ministry of 
	Defence has discretion under Article 36 to exempt non-Jews, except the 
	Druze. Israeli Arabs may volunteer, but they're not encouraged, and very few 
	do. Reserve service is also required up to age 51 for men and 24 for women. 
	  Exemptions are possible for reasons of:   -- educational 
	requirements;   -- religion (Orthodox Jews are exempted);   -- 
	health;   -- family considerations;   -- married or pregnant 
	women or those with children;   -- persons convicted of crimes;   
	-- the undereducated until they complete at least eight years of school; and 
	  -- other considerations at the Defense Ministry's discretion.   
	Israeli law rejects conscientious objection rights for men and only partly 
	accepts them for women on the basis of religion. Those refusing to serve may 
	be prosecuted and imprisoned.   Yet, as a UN Charter signatory, Israel 
	is obliged to comply with the UN International Covenant on Civil and 
	Political Rights. Its Article 18 guarantees everyone "the right to freedom 
	of thought, conscience and religion." So does the Universal Declaration of 
	Human Rights under Article 18 stating the same thing.    By rejecting 
	conscientious objection and requiring those claiming it to serve, Israel 
	violates international law and a fundamental human right afforded everyone 
	under it. As a result, under Article 35 (a) (2) of the National Defence 
	Service Law:   -- failure to fulfill an obligated duty is punishable 
	by up to two years imprisonment;   -- evading military service is 
	subject to five years in prison;   -- refusing to perform reserve 
	duties calls for up to a 56 day sentence, renewable if the objector refuses 
	repeatedly;   -- helping someone avoid military service is punishable 
	by a fine and up to two years in prison; and   -- disobeying call-up 
	orders means facing up to five years imprisonment, although sentences rarely 
	exceed 12 months.   Convictions are usually for the following reasons: 
	  -- refusal to obey an order;   -- absence without leave;   
	-- desertion; or   -- refusal to be mobilized.   Continued 
	refusal can mean discipline or court-martial, and repeat offenders face 
	re-imprisonment, in violation of Article 14, paragraph 7 of the 
	International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights stating:   "No 
	one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which 
	he (or she) has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance 
	with the law and penal procedure of each country."   Of course, 
	international laws, including the UN Charter, Geneva and Hague Conventions, 
	and Nuremberg Principles prohibit premeditated aggressive wars (and 
	participation in them), defining crimes of war and against humanity, 
	exempting no nation ever, under all conditions without exceptions.   
	Under Nuremberg's Principle VI, "crimes against peace" were defined as:   
	-- "planning, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in 
	violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;" also 
	participation in a plan or conspiracy to commit these violations;   
	War crimes included, but were not limited to:   -- 
	"murder....ill-treatment of prisoners of war....killing of hostages, plunder 
	of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or 
	villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity."   
	Crimes against humanity included:   -- "murder, extermination, 
	enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts done against any civilian 
	population, or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds when 
	such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in 
	connection with any crime against peace or any war crime."   
	Throughout their history, Israel and America 
	committed grievous crimes of war and against humanity, yet neither country 
	has been held accountable under international law so they repeatedly commit 
	them with impunity. So far, that is, until their eventual day of reckoning 
	because things that can't go on forever won't.   
	Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research 
	on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at 
	lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.   Also visit his blog site at 
	sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to the Lendman News Hour on 
	RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday - Friday at 10AM US Central time for 
	cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national 
	issues. All programs are archived for easy listening.   
	
	http://republicbroadcasting.org/Lendman  
	 
       
       
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