An 18-year-old Israeli man has been sentenced to 30 days in military jail for refusing to enlist in the army during its ongoing war in Gaza, Israeli media reports.
Tal Mitnick, from Tel Aviv, entered the Tel Hashomer enlistment centre on Tuesday to announce his decision to refuse to enlist in the Israeli Defence Forces.
In a video shared by activist group Mesarvot on X, Mitnick said: “I believe that slaughter cannot solve slaughter.
"The criminal attack on Gaza won’t solve the atrocious slaughter that Hamas executed. Violence won’t solve violence. And that is why I refuse.”
National military service is mandatory for all citizens over the age of 18 in Israel. Men and women must serve for a minimum of 32 and 24 months in the IDF, but exemptions are granted on religious grounds only.
Mitnick is the first Israeli conscientious objector to be imprisoned since the start of the Gaza offensive. He potentially faces repeated detention if he continues to refuse to military service.
In a statemen shared on X, Mitnick said he "refused to believe that more violence will bring security."
Tal Mitnick, an activist in the Mesarvot network showed up today at Tel Hashomer base and was sentenced to 30 days in military prison. Listen to what he had to say before he walked in.
— Mesarvot מסרבות (@Mesarvot_) December 26, 2023
Support him and other refusniks: https://t.co/drRtLjk4U3 pic.twitter.com/zu1XZJqmhG
He said: "We must recognize the fact that after weeks of the ground operation in Gaza, at the end of the day - negotiations, an agreement, brought back the hostages. It was actually military action that caused them to be killed."
"Because of the criminal lie that ‘there are no innocent civilians in Gaza,’ even hostages waving a white flag shouting in Hebrew were shot to death. I don’t want to imagine how many similar cases there were that were not investigated because the victims were born on the wrong side of the fence."
"We are not sent to fight for peace, but in the name of revenge. I decided to refuse to enlist before the war. But since it started. I am only more and more sure of mv decision."
Mitnick called for diplomacy and political effort stating, "there is no military solution."
Earlier this year, Amnesty International released a report on 20-year-old Yuval Dag, who refused three times to enlist because of his objections to the occupation of the Palestinians. He received a sentencing of 50 days and an additional 20 days after he refused the fourth time in April.
In March, about 700 reservist soldiers resigned in protest over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial reform. Critics said the reform will shield Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for alleged corruption.
In response Netanyahu said refusing military service, “threaten the foundation of our existence.”
