Indybay
bar graph
Indybay Needs Your Help: Donate Now!
We need to raise $2,010 to continue operating.
All donations go directly to operating costs.
SF Bay Area Indymedia
indymedia
About Contact Subscribe Calendar Publish Print Donate

Palestine | International

People look like flowers at last-youth demonstrate in support of the shministim
by MC
Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM
On Wednesday, October 21, youth in Israel marched through the streets of Tel Aviv in support of the Shministim- youth that is refusing to join the Israeli military. In Israel military service is mandatory at the age of 18, and the refusal to enlist caries jail sentences.
The demo, vocal and inspiring, was encouraging on many levels. For one, youth in Israel resisting military draft is defying everything that it was socialized to believe in- Israel is always a victim, Palestinians are violent and primitives, military service is fundamental to the survival of Jews in Palestine. The creating of space in which these myths are exposed promotes a hope for batter future. On another level, marching through the militaristic streets of Tel Aviv takes a lot of courage, people stopped on many accusation to curse and threaten, while the anti-occupation youth either ignored them or yelled at them back, (just to mention one example of violence against the “other” in Israel, a couple of months ago a gunman walked into a LGBT center and shot to death two youth). On a personal level, I can only imagine (well, I don’t need to imagine) the constant struggle that this youth go through with family and friends, and how much anti-militaristic and pro human-rights views can isolate one in israel.
So concretely, I was proud to march with those inspiring youth, who transformed guns and uniforms to butterflies locked in my ribcage. Danger and uncertainty to chants and music in the hot wind. Winter has begun, and people look like flowers, at last.

(the second last sentence is taken from a poem by Charles Bukowski)

the sign read: "occupation-even if we ignore it, it will not disappear"
§signs
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

signs from right to left: "to not be in the army, is the best thing". "not a soldier and not part of a tank unit- (i am) a conscious objector and a feminist". " i will not join the occupation military".
§
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

§"you should be ashamed of yourself!"
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

among the many who stooped to yell at participates in the demo.
§
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

§"we see, we hear, we refuse"
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

"we see, we hear, we refuse"
§
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

§fascists (not!)
by MC Thursday Oct 22nd, 2009 11:10 AM

Latter at night, Zionists arrive. Armed with flags and makeup, they ask us to leave Israel if we don’t join the military.

I talked to them for a minute before giving up:
“The Israeli military never committed war crimes, what military gives notices by phone to Palestinians before bombing an area?”
“a military that bombs schools and cities with white phosphorus”?
“why do you even care about that?”

Ex. 2

“don’t take our picture”
“why not?”
“because you just going to post it and call us fascists”
“and how would you define yourself?”
“we believe in the land of Israel for Jews, and in a Jewish state.”
“and how would you define fascism?”
“We don’t really know, but we are not that”