Release the Prisoners of Conscience (Refusniks) in Israel

Dear friends,

As you may know, the trial of the five occupation refusenicks is about to end. The Refusenicks Parents Forum intends to publish a petition supporting the accused and their freedom of conscience before the final session of the military court in Jaffo. We intend to gather signatures and contributions in order to print ads in the daily press. For this purpose, the seruvnicks need your help. Please sign your name, gather additional signatures and make your contribution against the occupation.

You can write and send a check made out to New Profile to POBox 9013 Jerusalem 91090. All signatures will be copied to an ad in the media.
======================================================
While occupation spawns terror
While war spawns poverty and unemployment
While innocent children are being killed in the occupied territories
While an agreement, an alternative to blood and death, is on the table
While the settlers impose terror on the Arab villages
While collective punishment, curfew and siege have become routine
While the occupation corrupts the morals of an entire generation
While soldiers die in a superfluous war a war for the settlements
While the government of Israel continues its drive for annexation and expropriation

Six youngsters: Yoni Ben Artzi, Haggai Matar, Matan Kaminer, Shimri Tsameret and Noam Bahat refuse to become soldiers as a matter of conscience: they refuse to be occupiers, they refuse to violate the human rights of the Palestinians and they refuse to assist in the continuation of the occupation, which is destroying Israeli society.

For more than a year, Israel is imprisoning these young people who listen to the dictate of their conscience. All this time, they have been prevented from contributing to Israeli society through alternative civilian humanitarian service.

If convicted, they can be sentenced to three years in jail.

We, the undersigned demand the immediate release of the prisoners of conscience, and to enable them to perform alternative civilian service according to the dictates of their conscience.