Israeli High School Students Refuse Military Service Over Far-Right Policies

Youth Against Dictatorship issued a statement at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium high school in central Tel Aviv, explicitly connecting their cause to their opposition to the oppression of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

"As young women and men about to be conscripted into Israeli military service, we say NO to dictatorship in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We hereby declare that we refuse to join the military until democracy is secured for all," the statement read, according to PressTV.

The students emphasized that the "dictatorship" experienced by Palestinians in the occupied territories for decades is now extending to other regions and is being directed against them.

"Violent settlers now control the entire affairs. These are not recent developments. Undemocratic attitudes and actions are essential to maintaining this regime of occupation and Jewish supremacy. The only thing that has changed is that the mask is now off. Faced with this reality, we say NO!"

While there have been previous instances of Israeli settlers protesting by rejecting military service, this marks the first time that 230 students have coordinated their refusal to serve as a specific means of challenging the policies of the current cabinet.

The far-right cabinet's overhaul plan, criticized by some as a "judicial coup," aims to diminish the Supreme Court's authority to overrule politicians' decisions and grants more influence to politicians in appointing judges to the court.

"The statement draws a connection between the judicial overhaul and the occupation. Those promoting the overhaul in the Knesset are [Simcha] Rotman, [Itamar] Ben-Gvir, and [Bezalel] Smotrich, who are settlers," said 16-year-old Ella Greenberg Keidar, referring to prominent far-right officials advocating these controversial policies.

She also asserted that the new legislation in the Israeli parliament is enabling further construction in the occupied territories and additional acts of "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinians.

"Some of the signatories had already planned to refuse military service before the current far-right cabinet took office, while others have solidified their stance in recent months."

Yuval Dag, aged 20, was the first person to be incarcerated since the new administration came into power, starting the protests in January. He had initially decided to refuse military service but chose to make his stance public after the far-right administration took office.

"On a personal level, my attitude has changed - I felt there was an obligation to publicly refuse, in order to present resistance to the blunt fascist discourse," Dag stated.

"In the general public, the slogan 'I won't be a soldier of Ben-Gvir' became acceptable, even in places where the occupation was not discussed because now there is a demon on the other side," he observed.

Dag served 64 days in military prison before his release. "It was a difficult experience in prison... I hope more will refuse, and that it will become more acceptable," he expressed.

Critics have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the overhaul plan to maintain his grip on power and potentially evade corruption charges. The protests have gained momentum since the Knesset passed the first bill of the overhaul plan in July, limiting the Supreme Court's ability to declare the cabinet's decisions "unreasonable."

Previously, several protests within the military denounced the far-right cabinet's policies. Over 10,000 reservist soldiers, including members of the elite intelligence unit 8200 and air force pilots, have declared their refusal to show up for duty on a voluntary basis in protest.

Former politicians and members of the security establishment have also voiced their support for the boycott. Former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin declared at a July demonstration in Tel Aviv that "the time had come to decide on the suspension of volunteering for the reserves until the legislation is completely stopped."

Former Minister for Military Affairs and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon likewise expressed, "I would have done the same" when commenting on reservists who choose to cease their service.