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Israeli students refuse to be conscripted to oppress the Palestinian people

To:      Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
            Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
            Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz
Date:    3 September 2001

We the undersigned, youths who grew up and were brought up in Israel, are about to be called to serve in the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]. We protest before you against the aggressive and racist policy pursued by the Israeli government and its army, and to inform you that we do not intend to take part in the execution of this policy.
  
We strongly resist Israel's pounding of human rights. Land expropriation, arrests, executions without trial, house demolitions, closure, torture and the prevention of health care are only some of the crimes the state of Israel carries out, in blunt violation of international conventions it has ratified.
  
These actions are not only illegitimate; they do not even achieve their stated goal ­ increasing the citizens' personal safety. Such safety will be achieved only through a just peace agreement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian people.
  
Therefore, we will obey our conscience and refuse to take part in acts of oppression against the Palestinian people, acts that should properly be called terrorist actions. We call upon persons our age, conscripts, soldiers in the standing army and reserve service soldiers to do the same.