Israeli reservists refuse to serve in military

“We, veterans of Unit 8200, reserve soldiers both past and present, declare that we refuse to take part in actions against Palestinians and refuse to continue serving as tools in deepening the military control over the Occupied Territories," said the letter signed by more than 43 veterans of one of Israel’s most secretive military intelligence units --many of them still active reservists.

They said the army's intelligence work in the occupied Palestinian territories harms the rights of millions of people, calling on all Israeli soldiers and citizens to be aware of Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians.

“[That] question is one of the messages that we feel it is very important to get across mostly to the Israeli public,” Israeli reservists said, adding, “That is a very common misconception about intelligence…. When we were enlisting in the military [we thought] our job is going to be minimizing violence, minimizing loss of lives, and that made the moral side of it feel much easier.”

Sources say the Israeli intelligence operations include targeted assassinations and intrusive surveillance of civilians.

The letter was initially written before the July War on the besieged Gaza Strip, but it was modified later as the death toll in the Gaza Strip jumped.

Nearly 2,140 Palestinians lost their lives and some 11,000 were injured in the brutal Israeli war on Gaza.

HK