‘I have to keep going’: The young Israelis refusing to fight – and facing jail

A small number of young Israelis are refusing national service, and being jailed as a result.

In Israel, young people are conscripted into the army for at least 24 months but a small number are objecting due to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

They are supported by Mesarvot, a small group supporting conscientious objectors whose name means ‘we refuse’.

Three of Israel’s young objectors spoke to Sky News ahead of refusing to sign up to serve on Wednesday.

They followed in the footsteps of Tal Mitnick who became the first person since the 7 October attack to be jailed for refusing to enlist.

He spent 185 days in jail in total, before receiving an exemption in June.

‘My family want me to enlist’

Itamar Greenberg, Iddo Elam and Soul Tsalik, all 18, were jailed on Wednesday for refusing to join up.

They told Sky News of facing threats and hate, as well as being ostracised for their decision.

Itamar has already spent 105 days in prison, having initially refused to enlist on 7 August. He has now been jailed for another 45 days.

The other two teenagers were jailed for the first time, facing 30 days each.

“I am still refusing, I will refuse again. Because I’m refusing I have to keep going,” Itamar told Sky News.

He described the difficulties of coming from an ultra-orthodox Jewish family, with a dad who served in the army.

“My family’s response is complicated. They want me to enlist. I try to say nothing to my family, I don’t think it’d be good for any of us. It’s hard enough,” he said.

All three explained their opposition to the war was because of the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza.

“I can’t support the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people,” Itamar said.

Iddo, who told Sky News a year ago how he intended to object, documented his refusal on social media before his arrest, and all three took part in a small protest before officially refusing.

Soul said he believed the actions of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) ran counter to efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.

The IDF says its war in Gaza is necessary following the 7 October attacks and civilian casualties occur when militant fighters position themselves close to the population.

War putting some off ‘rite of passage’

In the aftermath of the 7 October attack, Israel saw a “rallying around the flag moment”, a spokesperson for Mesarvot told Sky News.

The group of conscientious objectors described the military as “omnipresent” in Israeli society – “in school, in the streets, in every family”. The spokesperson added: “It is a rite of passage… the ideological backbone of Israeli society.”

But they said even as Israeli politics shifted to the right under Benjamin Netanyahu, the group had seen an increase in young people thinking about refusing to serve in the military.

“People were horrified by what was happening,” they added.

Exemptions exist for national service in Israel, including conscientious ones. Often, even people sentenced to prison time for refusing to serve will eventually be made exempt, as Tal Mitnick was.

While the ultra-Orthodox like Itamar were once exempt, since the summer they have been made to sign up too.

It was an unpopular move but one which reflects the pressures on Israel’s armed forces as it fights across a number of fronts, even after the ceasefire deal with Lebanon and Hezbollah.

Sky News has contacted the IDF but has not received a response.