Israeli students refuse conscription in protest against judicial reforms

This declaration by 230 students is the first organized action of its kind against government policies

TEL AVIV, Israel – Hundreds of Israeli high school students have announced they will refuse military service to protest controversial judicial reforms.

This declaration by 230 students is the first organized action of its kind against government policies.

The declaration, made at the Herzliya Hebrew High School in Tel Aviv, is directed against the authoritarianism that is creeping into Israeli politics.

The statement accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of allowing undemocratic practices that favor Jewish domination.

The trend of refusing military service, once confined to small radical groups, is now at the center of public discourse in Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s judicial reforms, seen by many as strengthening parliament at the expense of the judiciary, have reinforced this sentiment.

Several former officials, including former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin and former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, have spoken out in favor of such opposition.

Sixteen-year-old Ella Greenberg Keidar linked the changes in the judiciary to the agenda of far-right lawmakers, who she said exacerbate problems in the occupied territories and promote the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians.

Some students had previously decided against military service, while others were motivated by the recent political changes.

Yuval Dag was the first to be imprisoned for refusing military service after the formation of the new government.

He served 64 days before being released, and expressed hope that refusing military service would become more commonplace.

In July, the Knesset approved a key component of judicial reform that critics said would undermine the independence of the judiciary.