13 elite reservists refuse to serve in territories
13 elite reservists refuse to serve in territories
Thirteen reservists serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces yesterday signed a letter declaring their refusal to serve in the territories. The letter - signed by 10 soldiers and three officers - was delivered to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office late last night. Among the 13 signatories are nine who still do reserve service in Sayeret Matkal while the most senior is an officer with the rank of major.
"We say to you today, we will no longer give our hands to the oppressive reign in the territories and the denial of human rights to millions of Palestinians," reads the letter to Sharon, "and we will no longer serve as a defensive shield for the settlement enterprise."
Although Sayeret Matkal - the ultra-elite unit under the direct command of the IDF General Staff - is rarely involved in operations in the territories, the announcement carries weight because of the group's standing in Israeli society.
The letter came three months after the storm caused by the letter signed by 27 pilots and navigators who refused to participate in air force activities in the territories. The signers of the recent letter started to write the letter and gather signatures as a result of the pilots letter, learning a number of lessons from their mistakes. The Sayeret Matkal signatories refused to use public relations professionals, and included only active combat soldiers as signatories. It remains to be seen if they will withstand the intense public pressure brought to bear on the pilots, a number of whom chose to repudiate their signatures.
Human rights
"We cannot continue to stand silent," charging that Israeli military activities in the territories are depriving "millions of Palestinians of human rights" and endangering "the fate of Israel as a democratic, Zionist and Jewish country," wrote the soldiers.
Sharon had no comment, but the IDF spokesman said yesterday: "It is grave when reservists use their military records and the name of their unit for the purpose of expressing their political ideas." It is likely that the signatories will be dismissed from the unit. The air force removed the nine combat pilots still in active duty after they signed their protest letter in September.
Political figures who served in the elite army unit sharply criticized the announcement. Former prime minister Ehud Barak, who served as commander of Sayeret Matkal, called on signers of the letter to "immediately" retract their decision. According to Barak, it was a grave mistake, but "it's not too late to correct it, and it's important to do so."
"As much as we are divided over the hesitant and confused policy of Sharon's government which is endangering Israel, it is essential that this battle be waged in the public sphere ... I am convinced that the IDF, under Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, would never lend a hand to the giving of blatantly illegal orders to soldiers, including those in Sayeret Matkal."
Deputy Defense Minister MK Ze'ev Boim said the reservists were exploiting their uniform for political purposes, and were unworthy of wearing it, Channel 2 reported.
In 1972, Sayeret Matkal commandos, led by Barak, raided a Sabena plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. In 1976, the elite troops carried out a daring operation at Entebbe airport in Uganda to rescue some 100 hostages on an Air France plane hijacked by terrorists, led by Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brother, Yonatan, who was killed in the rescue.
- Amos Harel
Thirteen reservists serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces yesterday signed a letter declaring their refusal to serve in the territories. The letter - signed by 10 soldiers and three officers - was delivered to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office late last night. Among the 13 signatories are nine who still do reserve service in Sayeret Matkal while the most senior is an officer with the rank of major.
"We say to you today, we will no longer give our hands to the oppressive reign in the territories and the denial of human rights to millions of Palestinians," reads the letter to Sharon, "and we will no longer serve as a defensive shield for the settlement enterprise."
Although Sayeret Matkal - the ultra-elite unit under the direct command of the IDF General Staff - is rarely involved in operations in the territories, the announcement carries weight because of the group's standing in Israeli society.
The letter came three months after the storm caused by the letter signed by 27 pilots and navigators who refused to participate in air force activities in the territories. The signers of the recent letter started to write the letter and gather signatures as a result of the pilots letter, learning a number of lessons from their mistakes. The Sayeret Matkal signatories refused to use public relations professionals, and included only active combat soldiers as signatories. It remains to be seen if they will withstand the intense public pressure brought to bear on the pilots, a number of whom chose to repudiate their signatures.
Human rights
"We cannot continue to stand silent," charging that Israeli military activities in the territories are depriving "millions of Palestinians of human rights" and endangering "the fate of Israel as a democratic, Zionist and Jewish country," wrote the soldiers.
Sharon had no comment, but the IDF spokesman said yesterday: "It is grave when reservists use their military records and the name of their unit for the purpose of expressing their political ideas." It is likely that the signatories will be dismissed from the unit. The air force removed the nine combat pilots still in active duty after they signed their protest letter in September.
Political figures who served in the elite army unit sharply criticized the announcement. Former prime minister Ehud Barak, who served as commander of Sayeret Matkal, called on signers of the letter to "immediately" retract their decision. According to Barak, it was a grave mistake, but "it's not too late to correct it, and it's important to do so."
"As much as we are divided over the hesitant and confused policy of Sharon's government which is endangering Israel, it is essential that this battle be waged in the public sphere ... I am convinced that the IDF, under Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, would never lend a hand to the giving of blatantly illegal orders to soldiers, including those in Sayeret Matkal."
Deputy Defense Minister MK Ze'ev Boim said the reservists were exploiting their uniform for political purposes, and were unworthy of wearing it, Channel 2 reported.
In 1972, Sayeret Matkal commandos, led by Barak, raided a Sabena plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. In 1976, the elite troops carried out a daring operation at Entebbe airport in Uganda to rescue some 100 hostages on an Air France plane hijacked by terrorists, led by Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brother, Yonatan, who was killed in the rescue.
- Amos Harel
publicado por MP às 20:52
