It’s Max Kresch writing again to update you on what is going on in Israel with our movement of soldiers who are resisting the war.
As you may remember, I served for two months in the beginning of the war and then decided to refuse further service. It has been an exciting albeit grueling several months since we have been organizing what is now over 200 Israeli army soldiers who have taken an active stance in resisting Netanyahu’s war in Gaza. Your continued encouragement is fundamental.I cannot count the number of times that people have reached out to me on Instagram, Facebook, email, and roundabout ways, from all over the world expressing that what we are doing is inspiring for them. People from countries like France, Australia, Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia and more, many reaching out with broken English, or just simply writing in their native language for me to google translate. Knowing about the impact that our movement is having around the world, and the inspiration that it is giving people reinforces for me just how HUGE this movement really is.
Last week was a particularly disturbing week with the news about the Bibas family whose mother and two toddlers came back as murdered bodies in yet another chilling reminder of the criminal recklessness and abandonment which has become a hallmark of this government. Throughout this long and horrific war, Netanyahu’s radical government has actively worked to prolong the war, sabotage deals, and push for expanding the illegal occupation, all while neglecting their duty and responsibilities to bring home our hostages ALIVE. They want the war to continue, at the expense of the lives and continued suffering of the remaining hostages, risks to Israeli civilians, soldiers, and entire communities, all of whom he is supposed to represent. This is without even mentioning the overbearing destruction and slaughter faced by so many Gazan Palestinians of which they too have an internationally binding legal obligation, which they do not even pretend to care about. When we resist the war as soldiers, we wield a level of authority which far exceeds that of the average citizen. Of course we cannot overthrow a regime alone, but when people see us, it inspires them to resist too.
Sadly this new Trump era only seems to embolden the far right leaders both in Israel and across the globe. Having grown up in Michigan USA, I watch as new policies play out, stifling the mechanisms for the people to organize, workers to unionize, and the country to hold its leaders accountable. Regretfully, it’s my opinion that the trend of budding authoritarian leaders stifling dissent, and ruling with blatant disregard for the law, is likely only to grow significantly in the coming years. Still, now is not the time to be disheartened.
Here’s the plan
As I mentioned before, as soldiers, we have a particularly powerful voice. That is one reason that governments tend to pass laws restricting the rights of soldiers to organize, or even make public political expressions, as is the case in Israel, and probably whichever country you are reading this from. We all understand that workers’ ability to organize in unions is crucial for ensuring an equitable workforce, but the idea of soldiers independently organizing is exceedingly rare in the world, but that is exactly what we are doing. Over the past several months we have been collecting signatures, and organizing what is now a group of over 200 soldiers who are resisting the war. We have organized meetings, a refuser conference, we have been speaking at protests, printing stickers, and we have been key players in awakening the voice against the war. There is a reason that movements like ours are rare. It very difficult work, carrying with it many risks and sacrifices, including social consequences, such as beratement from peers and ostracization, as well as legal risks.
However, as Martin Luther King Jr. said when he was using civil disobedience to fight segregation in the United States, « There are 2 types of laws, Just and Unjust, and while one has a moral obligation to obey just laws, likewise one has a moral obligation to disobey Unjust laws.” While our primary objective remains ending the war, and bringing home all of the hostages in a diplomatic deal, my sincere hope is that during these globally tumultuous times, our movement will be able to serve as a model, and as inspiration for other soldiers around the world, to use their stature to stand up against the rise of tyranny. As we grow our numbers, the principles that guide us are true equality, freedom from oppression, and accountability. We will always resist the abuse of power of the political elite to subject others to injustice, and I hope others around the world will take inspiration from what we are doing.
How you can help
Organizing soldiers for civil disobedience is an ENORMOUS undertaking which requires tons of learning, and trial and error. While I am very optimistic about the impact we can have, I know there will be setbacks, failures, and periods of stagnation when it feels like we cannot make any progress. We also face several risks including fines and arrests – a consequence I have already experienced due to my involvement in protests – as well as social repercussions and ostracization in certain segments of the society. We can only go down this path if we know that you’ve got our backs. We need to have consistent and reliable funding which can sustain our efforts, support our organizers, and ensure our ability to keep pushing forward.
The best way that you can help is by making an automatic recurring donationhere. If 250 people would commit to a $40/month recurring donation, that would cover all of our current overhead, and allow us to establish ourselves with a permanent center for our operations. Of course, every amount no matter how big or small is graciously appreciated as it shows your continued commitment to our shared cause, and also helps us tremendously in fighting the injustice of this war.
As always, it is a joy reading the messages that you send along with your donations, I ask that you keep writing, as it is one of the crucial things that keeps me inspired, and of course, if you have friends who would enjoy reading the newsletter too, please send this to them!
In solidarity, and with love,
Max Kresch
info@refuser.org
Refuser Solidarity Network
PS:
The following is taken from a 1967 full page ad in the New York Times. It was placed by the emerging organization of “Vietnam Veterans Against the War,” which played a significant role in shaping public opinion surrounding the Vietnam War.
« We believe that the conflict in which the United States is engaged in Vietnam is wrong, unjustifiable and contrary to the principles on which this country was founded. We join the dissent of the millions of Americans against this war. We support our buddies still in Vietnam. We want them home alive. We want them home now. We want to prevent any other young men from being sent to Vietnam. We want to end the war now. We believe this is the highest form of patriotism.”
These words are as true today regarding our war in Gaza and the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people as they were almost 60 years ago.
