RSN News Item Archives
NEW PROFILE
RSN has been a major supporter of New Profile for many years. Here is a recent interview conducted by Jewish Voice for Peace with Ruth Hiller, one of New Profile's co-founders.
Read New Profile's 2007 Annual Report
Israel--A State "War" on Youth
by Rela Mazali, Jewish Peace News
SHMINISTIM/Conscientious Objectors
Second Prison Term for Four Women COs
Four women COs, signatories of the 2008 high school seniors refusal letter, have been sent to a another prison term today (12 Oct.). Sahar Vardi and Tamar Katz have been sentenced to 21 days in prison and are due to be released on 30 Oct. Omer Goldman and Mia Tamarin have been sentenced to 14 days in prison and are due to be released on 24 Oct. --by New Profile, October 12, 2008.
Send Your Message to Israel: Let the Shministim Go!
Noted historian and activist, Howard Zinn, calls on the Government of Israel to release imprisoned conscientious objectors.
Conscience of the Israeli Spymaster's Daughter
Igal Sarna meets a Mossad chief's daughter who is in jail for refusing national service.
By Igal Sarna, The First Post, October 20, 2008
Double Standards
By Seth Freedman, The Guardian Oct 2, 2008
Conscientious objection is despicable, unless, of course, you're from the ultra-orthodox community... Refusal to play the game and join up is tantamount to treason... The latest target for the wrath of the righteous is New Profile...
The Shministim Movement
The Ordeal of Sahar Vardi,Refusenik
By Neve Gordon
Eighteen-year-old Sahar Vardi is currently in an Israeli military prison. She is being punished for the crime of refusing to be conscripted into the Israeli military. A few weeks before her imprisonment she wrote Israel's Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, explaining her decision to become a conscientious objector.
ISRAELI CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS JAILED
CO Sahar Vardi, 18, from Jerusalem, has been sentenced today (25 Aug) to 7 days in military prison (more will likely follow after she is released).
CO Avichai Vaknin, 18, a pacifist conscient ious objector from the town of Yehud, near Tel-Aviv, has been sentenced on 20 Aug. to 21 days in military prison.
CO Udi Nir, 19, from the Tel-Aviv suburb of Hertzlia, has been sentenced yesterday (20 Aug.) to 21 days in military prison.
International Support for RSN
On November 8 in Milan, musician Marco Fusi presented a concert and donated the proceeds to RSN. Here are Marco's own words: I am a musician and the contribution it's the net proceeds of a my concert that i have organized the last eight of november to substain your activity. The manifestation have had the support of important italian intellectuals, like the nobel prize [winner] Dario Fo. I want to organize this manifestation every year. Best regards Marco Fusi
An Open Letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak:
By Bassam Aramin, Combatants for Peace
Honorable General Ehud Barak, you don't know me personally. I am a seeker of peace, and I struggle with all my strength and ability for the realization of a just peace that will bring calm and prosperity to Palestinians and Israelis together. I have suffered personally from your criminal occupation and I have paid a heavy price.
CFP Receives Peace Abbey Award
Combatants
for Peace is being awarded the Peace Abbey Courage
of Conscience Award, in response to nomination by Andrea
LeBlanc of September 11th Families for Peaceful
Tomorrows. Founding members of C4P, Bassam Aramin and
Elik Elhanan, are speaking throughout the San Francisco
Bay Area to ask U.S. citizens help to press the Israeli
government to reopen the case of Mr. Aramin's daughter
and build a playground at her school in her memory.
[Read more]
CFP Tour Press: Santa Cruz Sentinel
Talk features former Israeli and Palestinian fighters
by Shanna McCord, 1/30/08
Combatants for Peace Receives Award
Search for Common
Ground honored Combatants for Peace with the 2007
Common Ground Award.
[Read more]
Yesh Gvul Calls for Investigation of Shehadeh Bombing
In July, 2007, Yesh Gvul, a major Israeli refuser
group supported by RSN, launched campaign calling for a
full investigation of the 2002 assassination of Hamas
leader Saleh Shehadeh which also killed 14 civilians
when Israel dropped a one-ton bomb on their Gaza
apartment building.
RSN has endorsed Yesh Gvul's campaign, which will include advertising on the internet and in Israeli newspapers as well as a major press conference and other actions on July 22, the fifth anniversary of the incident. RSN believes that the Israeli High Court's decision represents a major breakthrough in exposing IDF attacks on civilians.
Panel might probe 2002 killing of Hamas commander Shehadeh
By Yuval Yoaz | Haaretz | 2007.6.18
The ruling handed down at Sunday's hearing rested on an earlier decision issued in December 2006 by a panel headed by then Supreme Court president Aharon Barak. That ruling upheld the government's right to assassinate terrorists, but said that if an assassination resulted in the death of innocent civilians, the decision and its execution must then be 'objectively' examined to determine what went wrong. While the court did not clarify what it meant by this, legal experts believe an inquiry committee set up by the Defense Ministry would suffice. [Read More...]