Israel was sentenced to jail for refusing military recruitment after the October 7 attack

Tal Mitnick, the first Israeli to be imprisoned for refusing to force recruitment after an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, leaned on his seat at the St. Paul University Auditorium in Ottawa.

On December 26, 2023, Mitnik arrived Recruitment The center in central Tel Aviv publicly announced that he would refuse to serve with the IDF.

“I have the choice: to be part of the power that currently kills my neighbors, that is to kill people’s loved ones, or I can choose to refuse,” he told CBC News.

Under Israeli law, he was detained for 30 days in a row, with a maximum sentence refusal.

The 19-year-old, released from an Israeli prison on a medical venue in July, is on a cross-Canada tour with the rejected Einat Gerlitz, who refused military service in 2022. The two are talking about their experiences as serious opponents, a position that has attracted ridicule and interest from both Israeli and North American audiences. The tour was an advocacy group by a local independent Jewish Voice Chapter, from Quebec to British Columbia throughout March.

On October 7, 2023, the Hamas-led attack caused about 1,200 Israelis, the worst Jewish massacre in many. According to local health authorities, the attack promoted Israeli invasion of Gaza, which killed more than 48,500 Palestinians.

Some young Israelis believe that a more pacifist attitude would better bring lasting peace to the Israelis and Palestinians.

A small but increasing number of Israelis refuse to enlist in the army or return to their military duties after a visit Gaza. But few people do this. For most Israeli men and women, military obligations are mandatory and refusals will face a blow from time to time of jail and social and professional.

“Become the first public rejecter [since Oct. 7] “We don’t know what the army will do. I go back again and again, and each time I get a maximum sentence until it reaches 185 days.”

IDF “Condemns Rejection”

The IDF said in a statement to CBC News that the country’s security services law stipulates mandatory recruitment and that the military “is committed to implementing the law and recruiting it under it.” The statement continued, which “condemns rejection.”

Regarding Mitnick, the IDF said the Professional Committee determined that there was “no serious reason for his claim” to refuse to enlist. The IDF said he was sentenced to jail after a “strong refusal.”

Mattan Helman is executive director of the Denyer Solidarity Network, which supports Denyer in sentences and provides information online about its story. He said public refusal had consequences. But he encouraged the practice to help spread the phrase was an option for Israeli conscripts, including those who condemn the scale of violence in Gaza and believed that the only way to take Israel hostages was a deal with Hamas.

Helman told CBC News via Zoom.

Although RSN has no exact figures in terms of rejection, Mattan said thousands of people have been increasing since October 7, especially among reserve soldiers.

Surviving prison

On the day he refused, Mitnick’s videos and pictures flooded social media. The protests outside his enlistment office have caused people to chant and waving with him signs.

“It’s strange that the protests are centered around me, and I’m not used to things that are centered around me,” he said. The teenager said he got rid of the spotlight and admitted it made him “a little uncomfortable.”

But he said that moment represented a turning point in his life as an activist. Here he meets many current friends, supporters and people who will help him on his journey in prison and beyond.

“I’m lucky to find this activist who has the same opinion as me and supports me,” he said.

Mitnik said his time in prison revolved around his ability to survive. His fellow prisoners did not know why Mitnik was imprisoned and he was cautious when sharing his political opinions.

He said some inmates eventually began to recognize him in prison, adding that he denied being “the person in the social media video.”

Mitnick, a self-proclaimed leftist, was inspired by his father, who said he spent a lot of time telling stories on the Palestinian side in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“Politics has always been something we talk about in the house,” he said. “The fact that has to be changed.”

As for what follows, Mitnik took a moment to express his thoughts as if he felt the weight of the problem in his conscience.

“Inshallah,” He said that Arabic is used as willing Arabic. “The wall will fall, and everyone will live in peace and freedom.”