Conscientious objector Natan Blanc sentenced to prison for the Ninth time for
his refusal to join the Israeli Army.
Natan Blanc, 19 years old from Haifa, arrived, Wednesday, 17.4.2013, to the
Induction Base in Tal-hashomer, where he again declared his refusal to serve in
the Israeli Army. In 18.4.2013 he was sentenced to 20 days of imprisonment for
his refusal, in the military prison No. 6 near Atlit.
In his refusal declaration Natan Blanc wrote:
`I began thinking about refusing to conscripted into the Israeli Army during the
“Cast Lead” operation in 2008. The wave of aggressive militarism that swept
the country then, the expressions of mutual hatred, and the vacuous talk about
stamping out terror and creating a deterrent effect were the primary trigger for
my refusal.Today, after four years full of terror, without a political process
[towards peace negotiations], and without quiet in Gaza and Sderot, it is clear
that the Netanyahu Government, like that of his predecessor Olmert, is not
interested in finding a solution to the existing situation, but rather in
preserving it. From their point of view, there is nothing wrong with our
initiating a “Cast Lead 2″ operation every three or four years (and then 3,
4,5 and 6): we will talk of deterrence, we will kill some terrorist, we will
lose some civilians on both sides, and we will prepare the ground for a new
generation full of hatred on both sides. As representatives of the people,
members of the cabinet have no duty to present their vision for the futures of
the country, and they can continue with this bloody cycle, with no end in sight.
But we, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate
in this cynical game.`
His prison address is:
Natan Blanc
Military ID7571368
Military Prison No. 6
Military Postal Code 01860, IDF
Israel
Fax:++972-4-9540580
Since the prison authorities often block mail from reaching imprisoned
objectors, we also recommend you to send them your letters of support and
encouragement via e-mail to:
messages2prison@newprofile.org, and they will be printed out and delivered
during visits.
2. Letters to Authorities
It is recommended to send letters of protest on the objectors’
behalf,preferably by fax, to:
Mr. Moshe Ya`alon,
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
Hakirya,
Tel-Aviv 61909,
Israel.
E-mail: pniot@mod.gov.il
Tel.:++972-3-6975220
Fax:++972-3-6962757
Copies of your letters can also be sent to the commander of the military prison
at:
Commander of Military Prison No. 6,
Military Prison No. 6
Military Postal Code 01860, IDF
Israel
Fax:++972-4-9540580
Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney
General:
Denny Efroni,
Chief Military Attorney
Military postal code 9605, IDF
Israel
Fax:++972-3-569-45-26
It would be especially useful to send your appeals to the Commander of the
Induction Base in Tel-HaShomer. It is this officer that ultimately decides
whether an objector is to be exempted from military service or sent to another
round in prison, and it is the same officer who is ultimately in charge of the
military Conscience Committee:
Gil Ben Shaul,
Commander of Induction Base,
Meitav, Tel-HaShomer
Military Postal Code 02718, IDF
Israel.
Fax:++972-3-737-60-52
For those of you who live outside Israel, it would be very effective to send
protests to your local Israeli embassy. You can find the address of your local
embassy on the web.
Here is a generic sample letter, which you can use in sending appeals to
authorities on the prisoners’ behalf.Feel free to modify this letter or write
your own:
Dear Sir/Madam,
It has come to my attention that Natan Blanc (military ID 7571368), a
conscientious objector to military service, has been imprisoned for the Ninth
time for his refusal to become part of the Israeli army, and is held in Military
Prison no. 6 near Atlit.
The imprisonment of conscientious objectors such as Blanc is a violation of
international law, of basic human rights and of plain morals. The repeater
imprisonment of conscientious objectors is an especially grave offence, as it
means sentencing a person more than once for the same offence, and has been
judged by th UN working Group on Arbitrary Detention to constitute a clear case
arbitrary detention.
I therefore call for the immediate and unconditional release from prison of
Natan Blanc, without threat of further imprisonment in the future, and urge you
and the system you are heading to respect the dignity and person of
conscientious objectors, indeed of all persons, in the future.
Sincerely,
|
