- Thirteen reservist soldiers and officers in the elite
Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday evening signed
a letter declaring their refusal to serve in the territories.
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- The letter - signed by soldiers and officers - was delivered
to the Prime Minister's Office, which refused to comment on the content
of the letter.
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- Among the 13 signatories are nine who still do reserve
service in Sayeret Matkal, while the most senior is an officer with the
rank of major.
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- "We say to you today, we will no longer give our
hands to the oppressive reign in the territories and the denial of human
rights to millions of Palestinians," reads the letter addressed to
the prime minister, " and we will no longer serve as a defensive shield
for the settlement enterprise."
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- Although Sayeret Matkal - the IDF General Staff's elite
special-operations force - is rarely involved in operations in the territories,
the announcement carries weight because of the group's standing in Israeli
society.
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- In 1972, Sayeret Matkal commandos, led by former prime
minister Ehud Barak, raided a Sabena plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists.
In 1976, the elite troops carried out a daring operation at Entebbe airport
in Uganda to rescue some 100 hostages on an Air France plane hijacked by
terrorists.
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- In response, the IDF Spokesman said, "It is grave
when reservists use their military records and the name of their unit for
the purpose of expressing their political ideas."
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- Political figures who served in the elite army unit sharply
criticized the announcement. Barak, who served as commander of Sayeret
Matkal, called on signers of the letter to "immediately" retract
their decision. According to Barak, it was a grave mistake, but "it's
not too late correct it, and it's important to do so."
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- "In a democracy there's no place for refusal because
it is the elected government that issues the orders to the army. As much
as we are divided over the hesitant and confused policy of Sharon's government
which is endangering Israel, it is essential that this battle be waged
in the public sphere, and for the army to defend all of us. Every soldier
has the right and the obligation to refuse an blatantly illegal order,
but I am convinced that the IDF, under Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, would
never lend a hand to the giving of blatantly illegal orders to soldiers,
including those in Sayeret Matkal."
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- Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who served in the
elite unit, said Sunday that "if people base their military service
on their political opinions, be left-winged or right-winged, we won,t have
an army or a state left. It is time to stop using military service as a
political axe."
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- MK Matan Vilnai (Labor), a major general in the reserves
who served as deputy commander of Sayeret Matkal, also criticized the letter.
"Refusal is a phenomenon that must cannot be accepted in any manner.
It cannot be denied that we are not speaking of a few isolated instances,
but rather a phenomenon that stems from the feeling of lack of purpose
in government policy."
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- "Refusal harms society's strength," said MK
Dan Yatom (Labor), a major general in the reserves who served in Sayeret
Matkal. "I condemn any form of refusal. No person or group has the
right to determine which missions are to be carried out." According
to Yatom, "The government of Israel must be attentive to the distress
expressed by such quality groups as the pilots and Sayeret Matkal, and
to respond appropriately."
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- Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim said on Monday "the
soldiers infected with this 'leprosy' of refusal must be stripped of their
military aura and tried for disobedience and even, I would say, incitement
to mutiny. It doesn,t matter if they're pilots or extolled special unit
soldiers. I think all of this credit given to elite unitswe respect and
appreciate all soldiers in uniform, the army marches also on its cooks,
mechanics store men, and these people have no right to use their unit to
receive a different sort of treatment."
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- "This phenomenon worries me as a citizen more than
as deputy minister of defense," Boim added.
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- Meretz MK Yossi Sarid said on Monday "as long as
the occupation and oppression persist, I suppose that the phenomenon of
refusal, which I see as negative one, will become contagious among military
units, especially throughout the elite forces."
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- "The army can enact disciplinary measures against
the refuseniks," Sarid added, "The new refuseniks know by now
that hard times are ahead for them, they saw the treatment that the pilots
received, and yet they nevertheless decided to take a stand, which is a
telling sign of their internal conviction."
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- MK Ophir Pines (Labor) said that in light of the letter,
a serious discussion should be held on the issue.
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- Minister Effi Eitam, Chairman of the National Religious
Party, said that he sees the letter as a break in Israeli society and that
he expected the wave of refusal to grow.
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- Meretz MK Roman Bronfman called the letter a brave step
intended to save israel from the occupation, while MK Shaul Yahalom (NRP)
said that jail was the proper place for the signatories.
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- The Sayeret letter is the third such public declaration
of reservists refusing to serve in the territories since the outset of
the current intifada. In early 2002, the "Courage to Refuse"
movement released a letter signed by reservist soldiers and officers refusing
to serve in the territories, which to date has over 570 signatories. In
September of this year, a group of Israel Air Force pilots announced their
refusal to carry out air strikes in the territories
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