An 18-year-old Israeli man was jailed for refusing to fight in the war against Hamas.
Tal Mitnick, apparently the first conscientious objector to be sanctioned for refusing to fight against the Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, was tried and sentenced to 30 days in a military prison.
Mitnick's sentence was triple the normal 10-day penalty. At the end of the 30 days, he'll be offered another chance to enlist. If he refuses, he could face a longer prison term.
"I'm standing here at the Tel Hashomer base and refusing to be drafted, refusing to take part in the war in Gaza," Mitnick, a Tel Aviv resident. said Tuesday, Haaretz reported. "I believe that slaughter does not solve slaughter, violence does not solve violence."
Mitnick entered an Israel Defense Forces recruitment center to announce his refusal to enlist, The Jerusalem Post reported. He was accompanied by other young activists from the Mesarvot Network, a group of conscientious objectors.
All Israelis are required to enlist in the military at age 18, unless they are studying in a seminary. Men serve for three years and women for two years.
"I refuse to believe that more violence will bring security, I refuse to take part in a war of revenge," he said in a statement, the Post reported. "I grew up in a home where life is sacred, where discussion is valued, and where discourse and understanding always come before taking violent measures.
"In the world full of corrupt interests in which we live, violence and war are another way to increase support for the government and silence criticism."
The night before entering the recruitment center, he told Haaretz: "I'm a little stressed but I know I'll get through it. And I know I'm doing the right thing."
Mitnick in September joined a group of teens who drafted a letter declaring that they would not serve in the Israeli military, despite the country's near-universal conscription. That was before Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on the country.
"We, teenagers who are about to draft, say no to dictatorship – both in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories – and announce that we will not serve until democracy is guaranteed to all, to everyone who lives under Israeli rule," the letter read, Haaretz reported.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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