[Hallel Rabin, who was jailed for a total of 56 days for refusing
to serve in the Israeli military service, faced severe backlash,
including accusations of "treason" and death threats on social media.]
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'I REFUSED TO JOIN THE ISRAELI ARMY, IT JUSTIFIES VIOLENCE AND
INEQUALITY'  
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Anjuman Rahman
January 4, 2021
Middle East Monitor
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_ Hallel Rabin, who was jailed for a total of 56 days for refusing to
serve in the Israeli military service, faced severe backlash,
including accusations of "treason" and death threats on social media.
_

Hallel Rabin, a 19-year-old conscientious objector, outside the
'number six' military prison near Atlit in northern Israel , AFP

 

19-year-old Hallel Rabin spent 56 days in jail after refusing to
complete military service she believes it allows 'criminals, thieves
and swindlers to roam free and run the state'

To outsiders, the decision not to serve in one of the most brutal and
immoral armies in the world may appear simple, but in reality, it
comes at a high cost.

Hallel Rabin, who was jailed
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for a total of 56 days for refusing to serve in the Israeli military
service, faced severe backlash, including accusations of "treason" and
death threats on social media.

To refuse service on political or ideological grounds takes courage
and the kind of social awareness that is rare to come across in such a
deeply divided and militarised society.

"The military is one of the most organised and well-oiled systems in
the country, and opposing it out of ideological, moral or political
motives is almost considered taboo, so my act was also met with
hostile reactions and expressions of hatred and anger," the
19-year-old tells _MEMO_.

The Israeli army, officially named the Israel Defence Forces (IDF),
was established in 1948 by Israel's first Prime Minister David
Ben-Gurion, who believed that "the whole nation is the army."

 

[Hallel Rabin (L), a 19-year-old Israeli conscientious objector, walks
with her mother Irit Rabin outside the "number six" military prison
near Atlit in northern Israel on November 20, 2020, upon release from
jail for refusing to serve in the Israeli army. - Army service is
compulsory for most Israeli citizens and while many seek exemptions on
various grounds -- some arguably less than truthful -- Rabin's case is
unusual in that she openly declared herself to be a pacifist and
served prison time. Hallel had served a total of 56 days since August
at the grim military prison "number six", and was facing up to 80 more
in detention. But after grilling her at four hearings, an army board
finally accepted that her pacifism was sincere and not driven by
"political considerations," which would have landed her more prison
time. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP
via Getty Images)]

Hallel Rabin (L), a 19-year-old Israeli conscientious objector, walks
with her mother Irit Rabin outside the "number six" military prison
near Atlit in northern Israel on November 20, 2020, upon release from
jail for refusing to serve in the Israeli army [EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP
via Getty Images]

All Jewish and Druze Israeli citizens over 18 are expected to report
for duty in the army; Israel's 20 per cent Arab population is exempt.

Consequently, refusers like Hallel, who openly oppose conscription,
are far and few between.

"From a very young age, it is known to most of the population that
their duty in the future will be to serve in the army," Hallel
explains.

During her initial encounter with the military system at the age of
17, she informed them of her decision not to join the army over its
policies toward the Palestinians.

Israel's military, warplanes, drones and gunships have been harassing,
intimidating and killing the people of Palestine regularly and with
impunity for decades. It continues to justify these violations in the
name of security or self-defence.

The result is a system that often lets Israel soldiers off the hook
for all but the most damning and public excesses, and sometimes even
for those.

"After deciding not to enlist, I began the process of trying to get
through a conscience committee to be released without being in jail,
but was rejected three days before the draft date," said Hallel.

"I arrived on the day of enlistment knowing that I was being sent to
jail that very day."

After careful reflection and concluding that military service did not
square with her ideals, she joined Mesarvot, a grassroots network that
brings together individuals and groups who refuse to enlist in the
army in protest of the occupation.

Described within Israel as "the most moral army in the world", serving
in the Israeli army becomes a shared badge of honour. The military
tries to present itself as an institution that enables social mobility
– a stepping-stone into Israeli society.

In reality, it allows the "criminals, thieves and swindlers to roam
free and run the state," which keeps people "under our control"
without democratic rights, explains Hallel.

Her family, despite some anxiety, are supportive.

Describing her upbringing in Kibbutz Harduf in northern Israel as
"liberal and politically and socially conscious, she said she came to
reject "violence" in society and was striving for equality between
religion, race and gender.

"We were educated to pursue commitment and responsible decision-making
and the values of equality, freedom, peace and love."

"The fact that I was imprisoned and judged on my beliefs and way of
life, which is based on striving for non-violence, was frustrating,
discouraging and annoying. At the same time, I learned in prison the
meaning of taking action and bearing the consequences."

Hallel had served a total of 56 days since August at military prison
"number six", and was facing up to 80 more in detention, but was freed
after the army board accepted that her pacifism was not driven by
"political considerations", which would have landed her more prison
time.

It was not naivete or a refusal to take responsibility, Hallel
continues, but a choice to take the more difficult route.

"In prison, I learnt to communicate with people who are very
culturally distant from me. I learnt not to be afraid of my actions
and I learnt that freedom is miraculous."

She believes she experienced a taste of what imprisoned and oppressed
victims go through every day.

The attention her story garnered online surprised her as she had
initially hoped it would pass quickly and quietly. However, she
realised it was an opportunity to prompt the public to question the
role of the army in shaping Israel's abusive power and the reality in
which they live.

"Why is there a difference between human beings based only on religion
and language?" Hallel asks. "What is our place in all this? Where
should we stand in this situation? What are our duties and rights?"

Every day, Israeli soldiers arrest, beat or kill Palestinians.

A damning report
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published in November by Israeli human rights groups condemned the
Israeli military's illegal invasions into Palestinian homes,
suggesting the practice is in violation of international law.

Based on two years of research carried out by Yesh Din, Physicians for
Human Rights Israel (PHRI) and Breaking the Silence, a study reveals
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attacks, assaults and acts of vandalism are frequently carried out on
Palestinian towns and villages in the Israeli-occupied West Bank both
by illegal settlers and soldiers.

The declared goals of military home invasions are to search houses,
conduct arrests, or collect intelligence ("mapping"), but the recorded
testimonies describe a very different reality.

Based on the soldiers' statements, the implicit aim of such raids is
what is described in military colloquialism as "a show of force" and
"creating a sense of persecution." They are meant to deter people –
entire communities – from participating in political activities
opposing the occupation.

There is a lot of guidance and orientation towards violence in Israel

Hallel says. "The public and political discourse justifies violence
and inequality, and there's a growing delegitimisation of opinions of
people who insist on believing in a non-violent alternative."

Even more importantly, as Hallel notes, Israeli Jews respected the
army most of all their public institution.

"This needs to change," she says. "It was crazy to find out that
although I was in a military prison, my small act has spread its wings
and touched hundreds and thousands of people all over the world."

"I received messages from people from all over the world, as well as
from Palestinians living here saying: Your deed has shown there is
hope for peace in the world and that not all Jews hate us."

She concludes: "We, all human beings wherever we are, have a simple
and clear interest – to live in true peace and security. That's
enough to build a life everywhere, including here, in this deeply
divided and bleeding land people are fighting for."

===

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