Hebrew University
Hebrew University - Ofer Neiman (Dept. of Computer Science)
actively enlists
International pressure against Israel
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see the full original article,
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Israeli Military Resisters Seek
International Pressure to End Occupation of Palestinian Lands
Interview with Ofer Neiman,
an
activist with the
Israeli
military resisters' group, Yesh Gvul,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus
Among the many peace and human rights groups
operating within Israel, Yesh Gvul focuses on support for military
resisters. The name can be translated as "there is a limit." The
movement was founded in 1982 when the war between Lebanon and Israel
began. At the time 3,000 reservists sent a petition to then-Prime
Minister Menachem Begin and Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, stating
they would not serve in Lebanon. Some of the activists were
court-martialed and served time in military prison.
Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus visited
Palestine and Israel in late May and spoke with Ofer Neiman, an
activist with Yesh Gvul, at an outdoor cafe just outside the gates
of Jerusalem's Old City. The 37-year-old served three years' active
duty and nine years as a reservist in an elite intelligence unit of
the Israeli Air Force. After observing the role of the Air Force in
carrying out operations against Palestinians in the Occupied
Territories in violation of international law, Neiman requested and
was granted transfer to a non-active unit and later received a
standard discharge letter. He was not prosecuted.
Neiman said his group still pursues its
original goal of supporting military resisters, but has expanded its
efforts to enlist support from people around the world to put
pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands.
For more information, visit Yesh Gvul's website
at http://www.yeshgvul.org/
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