Mesarvot

Mesarvot (Hebrew: מסרבות, lit. 'Refusers (fem.)') is an Israeli organization supporting conscientious objectors in their total refusal to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The organization has existed since 2015^[1] and provides a network for public attention and legal support of youth refusing to join the army and former conscientious objectors.

Activities

The organization makes cases of youth that completely refused in the Israeli Defense Forces public and promotes public discourse on the topic, supports conscientious objectors legally and with media trainings, during imprisonment and provides community for young people who make the decision to refuse. The organization supports hundreds of people every year. Usually, young people they support refuse to serve in the army to protest Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and to stand in solidarity with Palestinians.^[2][3][4]

Some notable cases that the organization supported include those of Tair Kaminer in 2016;^[1] Aiden Katri, the first transgender woman to be jailed for her refusal to join the army in 2016;^[5] Noa Gur Golan, who was attacked together with her mother in 2017 in the right-wing tabloid newspaper Israel Hayom for her refusal;^[6] as well as the ones of Maya Brand-Feigenbaum and Adam Rafaelov in 2019, both of whom were imprisoned several times for their refusal to be stationed in the occupied territories.^[2] Mesarvot also supported the cases of Tal Mitnick and Sofia Orr, who were the first youth to refuse to enlist in the Israeli Defence Forces after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023 and who called for an immediate ceasefire as well as an international arms embargo on Israel.^[7][8][9]

Political positions

The organization understands itself as feminist and criticizes patriarchal structures in the Israel Defense Forces as well as sexual harassment.^[1]

Mesarvot is part of the Anti-Occupation Bloc, an alliance of Israeli and Palestinian organisations advocating against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In 2022, Mesarvot staged a protest in Tel Aviv to mourn the killing of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli Defense Forces while reporting in the West Bank. The group also participates in solidarity actions in the West Bank. In February 2023, Mesarvot activists joined protests against the eviction of Palestinian buildings in Masafer Yatta.

Mesarvot also participated in the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests and connected the planned judicial reform with the government's occupation policies.^[3]