Edition 2: No. 18
Conscientious objector Noam Gur sentenced to prison for her refusal to join the Israeli Army
A call to solidarity
Palestine Update shares with subscribers this urgent action appeal. It is a call to stand in solidarity with Israeli conscientious objector Noam Gur who has been sentenced to prison for her refusal to join the Israeli Army. The net result of this international campaign that is led by Israelis who stand committed to ending the occupation is certain to pressure Israel’s political leaders. We ask you to disseminate this information widely and mobilize thousands of your friends and members of your constituencies in this campaign.
Ranjan Solomon
Editor
Noam Gur, 18 year old from, Kiryat Motzkin near Haifa, arrived yesterday morning, Monday, 16 April, to the Induction Base in Tel Hashomer, where she declared her refusal to serve in the Israeli Army as it is an occupying force. She was sentenced to 10 days of imprisonment for her refusal.
In her refusal declaration Noam wrote:
“I refuse to join an army that has, since it was established, been engaged in dominating another nation, in plundering and terrorizing a civilian population that is under its control.”
You can read more about Noam here
Her prison address is:
Noam Gur
Military ID 6084062
Military Prison No. 6
Military Postal Code 01860, IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-4-9540580
Since the prison authorities often block mail from reaching imprisoned objectors, we also recommend you to send them your letters of support and encouragement via e-mail to:messages2prison@newprofile.org
Recommended Action
First of all, please circulate this message and the information contained in it as widely as possible, not only through e-mail, but also on websites, social networks, conventional media, by word of mouth, etc.
Other recommendations for action:
1. Sending Letters of Support
Please send Noam letters of support to the prison address above and tomessages2prison@newprofile.org.
2. Letters to Authorities
It is recommended to send letters of protest on the objectors’ behalf, preferably by fax, to:
Mr. Ehud Barak,
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
Hakirya,
Tel-Aviv 64743,
Israel.
E-mail: sar@mod.gov.ilor pniot@mod.gov.il
Tel.: ++972-3-6975540or ++972-3-6975423
Fax: ++972-3-6976711
Copies of your letters can also be sent to the commander of the military prison at:
Commander of Military Prison No. 6,
Military Prison No. 6
Military Postal Code 01860, IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-4-9540580
Another useful address for sending copies would be the Military Attorney General:
Denny Efroni,
Chief Military Attorney
Military postal code 9605, IDF
Israel
Fax: ++972-3-569-45-26
It would be especially useful to send your appeals to the Commander of the Induction Base in Tel-HaShomer. It is this officer that ultimately decides whether an objector is to be exempted from military service or sent to another round in prison, and it is the same officer who is ultimately in charge of the military Conscience Committee:
Gil Ben Shaul,
Commander of Induction Base,
Meitav, Tel-HaShomer
Military Postal Code 02718, IDF
Israel.
Fax: ++972-3-737-60-52
For those of you who live outside Israel, it would be very effective to send protests to your local Israeli embassy. You can find the address of your local embassy on the web.
Here is a generic sample letter, which you can use in sending appeals to authorities on the prisoners’ behalf. Feel free to modify this letter or write your own:
Dear Sir/Madam,
It has come to my attention that Noam Gur (military ID 6084062), a conscientious objector to military service, has been imprisoned for the second time for his refusal to become part of the Israeli army, and is held in Military Prison no. 6 near Atlit.
The imprisonment of conscientious objectors such as Gur is a violation of international law, of basic human rights and of plain morals.
I therefore call for the immediate and unconditional release from prison of Noam Gur, without threat of further imprisonment in the future, and urge you and the system you are heading to respect the dignity and person of conscientious objectors, indeed of all persons, in the future.
Sincerely,
3. Letters to media in Israel and in other countries
Writing op-ed pieces and letters to editors of media in Israel and other
countries could also be quite useful in indirectly but powerfully
pressuring the military authorities to let go of the objectors and in
bringing their plight and their cause to public attention.
Here are some contact details for the main media outlets in Israel:
Ha’aretz (English edition):
21 Schocken st.
Tel-Aviv, 61001
Israel
Fax: +972-3-512-11-56
e-mail: letters@haaretz.co.il <mailto:letters@haaretz.co.il>
Jerusalem Post:
P.O. Box 81
Jerusalem 91000
Israel
Fax: +972-2-538-95-27
e-mail: news@jpost.co.il <mailto:news@jpost.co.il> or
letters@jpost.co.il <mailto:letters@jpost.co.il>
