Activists opposed to Israel’s pending withdrawal from the Gaza Strip have issued a call for mass desertion from the army. The message, issued on Thursday, calls for soldiers not to return to their units following the Passover holiday in order to avoid participating in the pullout.
A former chief rabbi of Israel, Avraham Shapiro, was one of the signatories.
Analysts at The Media Line explain that the army holds an esteemed position in Israeli society, largely because all men and women are conscripted at the age of 18 and because of the unrelenting threat to the country.
Bringing the military into political frays has always been considered unacceptable by most Israelis.
While political leftists have in the past encouraged soldiers to refuse service in post-1967 territories, a call for mass desertion is unparalleled in modern Israeli history.