After announcing her position, Sophia Orr received death and rape threats and was accused on social media of treason (The Times)
Sophia Orr (18 years old) is likely to be the first Israeli girl to go to prison for refusing military service due to her political beliefs.
In her previous statements, Sophia said, “On February 25, the date of my conscription, I will refuse conscription and will go to military prison because of that. I refuse to participate in the violent policies of oppression and apartheid that Israel has imposed on the Palestinian people, especially now with the war.”
After announcing her position, Sophia Orr received death and rape threats and was accused of treason on social media sites, and her friends described her as a self-hating Jew.
The British newspaper The Times quoted Sophia as saying, “Terrible things have happened in Israel, but terrible things are also happening in Gaza, and I feel sorry for everyone.”
Tal Mitnick, an 18-year-old from Tel Aviv, was previously sentenced to 30 days in prison for refusing to enlist in the Israeli army after he condemned the aggression on Gaza, describing it as a “revenge campaign... not only against the Hamas movement, but against the Palestinian people.”
Mitnick entered the Tel Hashomer recruitment center with other members of the Mesarvot network, a group of young men who conscientiously objected to military service;
He announced his refusal to be conscripted into the Israeli army, attributing his decision to his dissatisfaction with the war on Gaza and the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
He explained in his refusal letter that he did not want to participate “in the continuation of repression and the continuation of the cycle of bloodshed, but rather to work directly for a solution.”
A segment of Jewish youth in Israel refuses to perform military service in light of the Israeli aggression against Gaza, and they also oppose the occupation of Palestinian territories, the bombing of Gaza, and the killing of civilians.
Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + Times