Israeli soldiers refuse to evict Jews

By Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler | Last updated: Dec 3, 2009 - 2:16:33 PM

Graphic: MGN Online

JERUSALEM (IPS/GIN) - Israelis were caught by surprise when new recruits at an October review at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the remains of Judaism's holiest site, suddenly unfurled banners reading, “We Will Not Evacuate Jews.”

The concern became more acute in November. After the demolition of two hilltop settler houses in the occupied West Bank, six religious soldiers from the same brigade deployed similar placards at their base, declaring their intent to refuse to remove anymore settlements if ordered to do so.

The bulk of the Kfir brigade is composed of religious Jews from settler communities. Their national service combines military duties with religious studies.

Both acts were privately filmed, and the material was disseminated by settler activists to Israeli TV networks. The dissident soldiers were swiftly punished, some to 30-days incarceration, others to confinement to barracks.

The two incidents have exacerbated public concern over politicization in the Israeli army.

Settler rabbis retort that it is senior army officers who are in fact “contaminated by politics” since they are willing to give up land in the West Bank which nationalist religious Jews consider as “God-promised to the Jewish nation.”

Many of the settler soldiers rely on ideological rabbinical precepts compiled by ultra-nationalist rabbis who oversee their studies while they are doing their national service.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed of the Har Bracha ring of settlements near the major Palestinian town of Nablus is an important source of inspiration. He provides religious answers to the conscripts on how to be loyal to “nation, land, army.”

“It is prohibited for any soldier or officer to participate in the strictly forbidden act of expelling Jews from their homes and to hand over any portion of the Land of Israel to enemies,” he writes in one of his religious tracts. “Those doing so violate several commandments of the Torah.”

In his book, “Revivim,” Rabbi Melamed responds to the question, “Will that not cause the army to collapse?”

“If many refuse, no such order will be given,” writes the rabbi. “At most, senior commanders will have to resign. It would be good if this happened. The majority of the senior officers are contaminated by politics.”

A day after the latest incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that “refusing to obey orders means the breakdown of the state. We will do everything possible to put an end to it. We survive because of our army, and the army relies on its ability to give orders and to have them obeyed.” There will be “zero-tolerance” for soldiers refusing to obey orders, Mr. Netanyahu said emphatically.

But words apart, neither the political nor army leadership is acting resolutely to stop the drift.

The Prime Minister directed his tough talk against “any” insubordinate soldiers—attempting to create a moral equivalence between protesting right-wing settlers and left-wing “conscientious objectors” who oppose serving in the occupied territories.

“The equivalence is false,” said the daily Haaretz in an editorial. Calling the settlers protest “a revolt,” the editorial said, “This is nothing but a cover for blatant activity within the army by radical rabbis, some of whom openly flout the rule of law.”

Speaking of the serious problem of divided loyalties, the father of one of the protesting soldiers declared, “Not for nothing is our army called the Israeli Defense Forces. Its job is to defend Israel, not to remove Jews from their homes in the Land of Israel.”

For full image, see: http://ademmm.deviantart.com/art/Map-of-Occupation-Palestinian-108642480

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