Israeli Teen Jailed for Refusing to Take Part in Army's 'Criminal Attack' on Gaza
Tal Mitnick, an 18-year-old Israeli, is refusing to serve in his country's army as it wages what many are calling a genocidal war on Gaza. (Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"I believe that slaughter cannot solve slaughter," said 18-year-old Tal Mitnick, who was sentenced to 30 days behind bars for refusing to participate in what a fellow draft resister called a "genocide" in Gaza.
[Ed. - eerie echos of Vietnam]
A young Israeli man was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days behind bars for refusing to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces as it wages a genocidal assault on Gaza, a war the teen condemned as "a revenge campaign... not only against Hamas, but against all Palestinian people."
Tal Mitnick, an 18-year-old from Tel Aviv, entered the Tel Hashomer enlistment center with other members of the Mesarvot Network—a group of young conscientious objectors—and announced his refusal to enlist in the IDF, citing the war on Gaza and Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine.
"I believe that slaughter cannot solve slaughter," he said outside the base. "The criminal attack on Gaza won't solve the atrocious slaughter that Hamas executed. Violence won't solve violence. And that is why I refuse."
The 30-day sentence imposed on Mitnick is exceptionally long; Israeli refuseniks are usually first jailed for 7 to 10 days, with the possibility of up to 200 additional days added for unrepentant resisters after their initial release. Numerous observers believe the teen is likely being punished for his outspoken criticism of Israeli government policies and practices.
Mitnick expects to be imprisoned for an additional period after he serves out his month behind bars. In a statement shared Tuesday on social media, he slammed "the notion that this land belongs to only one people."
Mitnick wrote:
The path to peace, Mitnick argued, will not come from Israeli or Palestinian politicians, but rather "from us, the sons and daughters of the two nations."
Supporters accompanying Mitnick at Tel Hashomer held signs with slogans like "an eye for an eye and we all go blind" and "there is no military solution."
Last month, Mitnick explained to TRT World that "the army that we have in this area is the operational wing of Jewish supremacy in the area and it's bent on the oppression of the Palestinian people, and I refuse to take part in that oppression and instead fight against it in my activism."
Mitnick said that the first day of the war was "defensive," but after that, it "turned into a war of aggression against civilians in Gaza."
"I refuse to agree with the idea that killing civilians in Gaza would provide security for anyone," he said. "It doesn't bring security to anyone, neither to the people of Gaza nor to the people of Israel. I believe that the only path to security and peace lies in coexistence."