Israel

Tue

Jan

2015

A Call on IASA Alumni to Refuse Mandatory and Reserve Duty Service in the Israeli Military

New translation available

Submitted by hannah

We, Israel Arts and Science Academy alumni, former staff members, Palestinians and Jews, from different ages and diverse world-views, approach you, alumni and future alumni – dare to refuse.

As human beings and citizens we each carry...

Fri

Mar

Quotes from WRI's Countering the Militarisation of Youth conference: Public discourse and Education

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 07/03/2014 - 14:22

Public discourse

They are constantly selling the idea that Venezuela is going to be invaded by the United States and in the face of this external threat...there is a permanent feeling of being on the verge of war or armed conflict...They always say that the United State wants Venezuela’s oil, however our president Chávez negotiated with transnational energy companies for 30 to 40 years. This means that that argument is invalid... - Rafael Uzcategui, Venezuela

Thu

Feb

Voting with our feet: women (and children) in Israel making new move(ment)s: article

Submitted by Gary on Thu, 13/02/2014 - 15:53

Rela Mazali -

A new movement of women is emerging in Israel, in interaction with an existing but unacknowledged movement of young people. The women are challenging the risks their state is prepared to take with lives. Among them, mothers and spouses are questioning the state’s use of their sons, daughters and partners in the military. Protesting the pervasive militarization of their society, they’ve begun to work on retracting the standing loan of Jewish Israeli lives to the military. The young people are intentionally avoiding enlistment in the Israel Defense Force. This composite movement is everywhere, destabilising the public/private, emotional/rational, male/female divides.

Wed

Feb

War-Toys: Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip

Submitted by Gary on Wed, 12/02/2014 - 21:20

Brian McCarty -

WAR-TOYS: ISRAEL, WEST BANK, GAZA STRIP – Using principles of play and art therapy, children who have been affected by conflict become art directors for Brian McCarty’s photographs of toys found within warzones, placed and posed to recreate shared fears and witnessed events. The resulting images offer rare and fascinating insights into the contemporary experiences of girls and boys living on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

“My goal for WAR-TOYS is to change lives,” says artist Brian McCarty. The showing of work at Peanut Underground Art Projects and upcoming book release are the first volume in what will be a long-running project.

Wed

Jan

Courage to Refuse

January 2002, a group of Israeli reserve officers and combat soldiers returned from their duty in the Gaza strip, and drafted a letter that would change they way Israelis conceive the military control of the occupied territories. This document came to be known as the Combatant's Letter.

Wed

Jan

New Profile

"New Profile" is a group of feminist women and men, who are convinced that we need not live in a soldiers’ state. Today, Israel is capable of a determined peace politics. It need not be a militarized society. We are convinced that we ourselves, our children, our partners, need not go on being endlessly mobilized, need not go on living as warriors.

Mon

Jan

Refusing Militarism: Political Emotions and State-making in Israel

Submitted by Gary on Mon, 13/01/2014 - 22:52

Break the Silence! Anti-Zionism is NOT Anti-Semitism!

Poppy Kohner -

Mon

Jan

Militarising education in Israeli schools

Submitted by Gary on Mon, 13/01/2014 - 20:11

Binyamin Netanyahu's administration is encouraging a nationalist narrative to dominate discourse in schools, say analysts, further militarising Israeli society [AFP]

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours -

Textbooks with nationalist themes are helping prejudice to grow in the classroom, say analysts.

Should Israeli girls be prevented from associating with Palestinians?

This was among the questions asked in a new study guide for the end-of-year high school civics exam in Israel, prepared by a private company and approved by the country's ministry of education.

One of the proposed answers was that Israeli girls should stay away from Palestinians, because "Arab youths pose a threat to the lives of Jewish girls" and because "relationships between male Arab youths and female Jewish youths pose a threat to the Jewish majority in the country".

Mon

Jan

Not in our schools

Submitted by Gary on Mon, 13/01/2014 - 17:55

New Profile -

In 2009 the Ministry of Education invited 600 school principals to hear a lecture by General Gabi Ashkenazi, the Chief of Staff, about the importance of the draft. Members of New Profile went to the event, held at the National Theater in Jerusalem. Forced by police and security to stand far from the theater on a public sidewalk, they attempted to engage in dialogue with the participants as they arrived, offering alternative information about the significance of military involvement in schools. They also distributed flyers. Although the encounters and protest were nonviolent, our members were ordered away from the premises and threatened with arrest.

School principals – You are about to hear from the Chief of Staff what you must do to truly motivate the students in your schools to enlist for combat service. This:

Fri

Jan

Our children and grandchildren

Submitted by Gary on Fri, 10/01/2014 - 08:17

Dorothy Naor -

Tue

Jan

As Natural as Mother's Milk - Impregnating Society With Militarism

Submitted by Gary on Tue, 07/01/2014 - 13:52

Ruth L. Hiller

Pages

Languages

Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.