Sofia Orr (18) already knew at the age of 15 that her future would take a different direction from her classmates. And that the price she was going to pay was high. Sofia will refuse initial service when she is called up by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in February. Thus, she risks a prison sentence from a defense that rarely accepts conscripts who abstain for political or conscientious reasons. – I refuse to take part in the violent and oppressive policy Israel leads against the Palestinians. My moral compass does not allow me to serve in the military, says Orr to news. Sofia Orr (18) says there are moral reasons why she will not do her military service in Israel’s defense IDF. Photo: Sofia Orr In Israel, there is conscription for everyone over 18. The exceptions are Israeli Arabs, religious women, ultra-Orthodox, married people or those who are physically or mentally unfit for combat, according to the IDF. But for Sofia, potentially months in prison is better than serving military service. – I never felt any nationalist duty. I just wanted to help people. And I didn’t feel that the army is the best place I could help someone. It’s not just that I don’t want to join the military, but that I can’t join the military. – I want to fight for peace and change for both Israelis and Palestinians. That’s why I publicly refuse, says Sofia. Unknown how many people who refuse “Refuseniks” are called people like Sofia. news has been in contact with the network Mesarvot, which works with refusing reservists and young people who refuse conscription. Mesarvot cannot quantify the number of people who annually refuse to serve conscription, or in the reserve forces. Or how many are punished with prison for refusing. They are a minority in a country where the vast majority have served conscription for at least two years, with a reserve force of well over 400,000 people. Spokesperson Nimrod Flaschenberg in Mesarvot says they know of a dozen people who have refused military service since the war in Gaza broke out on 7 October. Including Tal Mitnick (18), who was imprisoned in December. The IDF does not wish to give news such figures, or to comment on this matter. The Yesh Gvul movement has since the 1980s organized reservists who refuse to participate in Israeli warfare. On their website, they state that 3,000 reservists refused to participate in the first Lebanon war in 1982, while 2,500 signed the organisation’s declaration against military service during the first intifada in 1987. Several of those who refused were then imprisoned. In 2003, a group of Israeli fighter pilots refused to participate in operations in the West Bank and Gaza. Several of these were also imprisoned, according to Amnesty. According to Al Jazeera, at least five people have been imprisoned for refusing military service for political or conscientious reasons in 2022 and 2023. Expert: Perceived as disloyal Talking about one’s choice publicly has not been easy. Former classmates distance themselves from her. Sofia says she has been threatened with rape and murder, and that she has been called a “self-hating Jew” and “traitor”. – I don’t see myself as a traitor. I do not feel duty to my country, but to people in general. Especially those who live where I live, both Israelis and Palestinians. I fight to make it better for them. It is not treacherous. It has gotten worse since the terrorist attack against Israel on 7 October, and Israel’s subsequent warfare in the Gaza Strip, says Sofia. That can be explained by the IDF’s position in Israeli society, says Israel expert Hanne Eggen Røislien. She says the defense is a mainstay in a country that has been at war since before it was created. Hanne Eggen Røislien is a researcher and expert on Israel. She is currently working on a book about the IDF. Photo: Ruth Synnøve Barsten / news – Safety has been so incredibly important. The IDF has become a common denominator for the whole society, precisely because it is such a conflict-ridden country. – They have more than a security role. It is a very community-building role and history, she says to news. Thus, there is neither tradition nor room for military refusal in Israel. And that’s why there is such a strong reaction when someone says publicly that they refuse to do military service, Røislien believes. Especially after 7 October. – Many believe that Israel is now in an existential war. Not wanting to help in that, that’s the background. – War does something special to people. There are a lot of strong emotions, and many Israelis are afraid. If someone turns their back on it, it is perceived as quite disloyal, says Røislien. – I am afraid that sometimes Sofia does not know how long she may have to serve in military prison. The usual procedure, according to her, is that a conscientious objector has to serve 30 days before they have to appear before military courts again. This process is repeated until a judge lets the “refusenik” go. According to Al Jazeera, those who refuse military service for political or conscientious reasons spend at least five months in a military prison. – I am worried. I’m scared sometimes. But I’m ready. I made this decision a long time ago and am preparing by talking to people who have done this before. – How do you think you will be treated in prison? – It is impossible to say. Not as bad as they treat Palestinians. I think the idea of not doing that and not taking a stand is scarier. When she gets out, Sofia does not envision a future in Israel. Since the war broke out, public discourse has hardened in the country. In addition, the Israeli authorities have cracked down hard on statements that are critical of Israeli warfare, or that can be interpreted as support for Palestine, according to The New Yorker and Washington Post, among others. – I thought I wanted to stay here. It is the morally right thing to do. I am a rare commodity in this country because of my political opinions. But recently the hatred and violence in Israel has become so violent that I see no future here. But I want this place to have a future, a good future, she says.
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18-year-old Sofia must probably go to prison in Israel – refuses to join the military – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
