Israel: Conscientious objector Natan Blanc sentenced to prison for the ninth time

Call to send solidarity letters

(18.04.2013) Conscientious objector Natan Blanc, 19 years old from Haifa, was sentenced to 14 days of imprisonment for his refusal at the Induction Base in Tal-Hashomer April 2, 2013. This was the eighth sentence. Altogether he was sentenced to 130 days of imprisonment, since he declared his conscientious objection at the Induction Base in Tal-Hashomer November 19, 2012.

In his refusal declaration Natan Blanc wrote: "I began thinking about refusing to conscripted into the Israeli Army during the ‘Cast Lead’ operation in 2008. The wave of aggressive militarism that swept the country then, the expressions of mutual hatred, and the vacuous talk about stamping out terror and creating a deterrent effect were the primary trigger for my refusal. Today, after four years full of terror, without a political process [towards peace negotiations], and without quiet in Gaza and Sderot, it is clear that the Netanyahu Government, like that of his predecessor Olmert, is not interested in finding a solution to the existing situation, but rather in preserving it. From their point of view, there is nothing wrong with our initiating a ‘Cast Lead 2’ operation every three or four years (and then 3, 4, 5 and 6): we will talk of deterrence, we will kill some terrorist, we will lose some civilians on both sides, and we will prepare the ground for a new generation full of hatred on both sides. As representatives of the people, members of the cabinet have no duty to present their vision for the futures of the country, and they can continue with this bloody cycle, with no end in sight. But we, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate in this cynical game." (...more)

His prison address is: Natan Blanc, Military ID 7571369, 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(at)newprofile.org or to natanbl(at)walla.com.

Source: New Profile, November 23, December 6 and December 27, 2012, January 7 and 22, February 12, March 2, April 3 and 18, 2013.

Keywords:    ⇒ Conscientious Objection   ⇒ Israel   ⇒ Natan Blanc   ⇒ Prosecution