- "Several hundred IDF reservists have been sent to
military prison for refusing to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
and hundreds of other objectors are believed to have been quietly reassigned
to duties inside Israel by their units."
-
- Military Court Convicts Ben-Artzi Of Refusal To Follow
Orders
-
- A three-judge panel at a military tribunal in Jaffa on
Wednesday convicted conscientious objector Yonatan Ben-Artzi of refusing
to follow orders, but accepted the definition of himself as a pacifist
and recommended that the case be referred back to the Conscientious Objection
Committee of the Israel Defense Forces.
-
- A statement from the military said that the tribunal,
while finding Ben-Artzi guilty of refusing to obey orders, "without
relation to the verdict, found that he is sincere in his claims."
-
- Ben-Artzi's attorney, Michael Sfarad, said that it was
now up to the chief military prosecutor to consider the recommendation
to transfer the case back to the committee, to which Ben-Artzi had originally
appealed for an exemption from military service.
-
- Ben-Artzi said the outcome was a partial victory. "They
believe me that I'm a pacifist," he told The Associated Press. However,
he said, the military tribunal was not the forum that could release him
from service.
-
- Those who refuse to serve in the IDF for reasons of conscience
must submit to interviews with the committee, which then decides whether
or not to exempt the petitioners from service.
-
- After a decision is reached, said Sfarad, Ben-Artzi's
sentence can be determined.
-
- Ben-Artzi - a nephew of Finance Minister Bemjamin Netanyahu
- has served a total of 16 months in detention for his refusal to serve
in the military.
-
- The court becane involved in Ben-Artzi's case after the
the head of the IDF recruitment department rejected a court recommendation
to allow Ben-Artzi to appear one more time before the Conscientious Objection
Committee.
-
- The defense of five conscientious objectors went into
its final stage at the court Tuesday, as supporters of the five - Adam
Maor, Matan Keminer, Haggai Matar, Noam Bahat and Shimri Tsameret - held
a demonstration outside the court.
-
- Several hundred IDF reservists have been sent to military
prison for refusing to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and hundreds
of other objectors are believed to have been quietly reassigned to duties
inside Israel by their units.
-
- © Copyright 2003 Haaretz. All rights reserved
-
- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/360083.html
|
