A Gen Z Israeli explained why he's refusing to fight Hamas. Now Israel has sent him to military prison.
Soul Behar Tsalik, Mesarvot Network
- A Gen Z Israeli has been sent to prison for refusing to enlist in the military.
- Tal Mitnick says he cannot support the cycle of violence and oppression of Palestinian people.
- Mitnick will spend 30 days in prison before being screened once again.
A Gen Z Israeli is going to military prison after refusing to enlist in the country's military amid its war with Hamas, saying he won't be part of an 'eye for an eye' cycle of violence.
Tal Mitnick, an 18-year-old from Tel Aviv, is one of several young Israelis defying Israel's mandatory military service, but he is the first to be sent to military prison during his country's war with Hamas. Israel invaded Gaza and declared war against Hamas after the militant group attacked Israel in October.
Mitnick was sentenced on Tuesday to 30 days in prison after refusing to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, a spokesperson for the IDF told Business Insider.
Tal Mitnick
In a lengthy personal statement shared with Business Insider, Mitnick said that he supports Palestinian people and does not want to contribute to Israel's attacks on Gaza.
"Before the war, the army guarded settlements, maintained the murderous siege on the Gaza Strip, and upheld the status quo of apartheid and Jewish supremacy in the land between the Jordan and the sea," Mitnick wrote in his statement.
"Since the outbreak of the war, we have not seen any call for a real policy change in the West Bank and Gaza, for an end to the widespread oppression of the Palestinian people and the bloodshed, or for a just peace. We are seeing the opposite: the deepening of oppression, the spreading of hatred, and the expansion of the fascist political persecution within Israel," he added.
Mitnick said he does not support Hamas or the Israeli military because "violence cannot solve the situation."
"Continuing this cycle: 'an eye for an eye' without thinking about an actual solution that would provide security and freedom to us all, only leads to more killing and suffering," Mitnick wrote.
Real change, he wrote, can only come from the people of both nations, not the "corrupt politicians" of Israel or the leaders of Hamas.
"This change will come when we recognize the suffering of the Palestinian people over the years, and that this suffering is the result of Israeli policy," Mitnick wrote. "Along with recognition must also come justice, correction, and the construction of a political infrastructure based on peace, freedom and equality."
Prem Thakker, a reporter with The Intercept, shared Mitnick's full statement on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
The IDF told Business Insider that after hearing Mitnick's objections, it was "unanimously determined that no valid reason for conscientious objection was found."
After his sentence is completed, Mitnick will have another interview with a military screening officer, the IDF spokesperson said.