Johannesburg, 25 September 2025. South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) has launched an initiative showing solidarity with Israelis refusing to serve in the Israeli military. These brave conscientious objectors, sometimes known as “refusers” or “refuseniks”, will not serve due to their moral opposition to the ongoing genocide and occupation Israel enforces against the Palestinian people.
We invited activists who were involved in public forms of refusal to fight in the apartheid army in South Africa to express solidarity with their current Israeli counterparts. Our experience of life under apartheid strengthens our resolve to work towards the liberation of Palestine. As Nelson Mandela once said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
Our campaign was created in consultation with those who were involved in the End Conscription Campaign (ECC) in the 1980s. The ECC supported those who refused compulsory service in the South African Defence Force under apartheid through legal support and public awareness campaigns.
Conscientious objectors faced increasingly harsh laws designed to crush their dissent. Early COs such as Peter Moll and Richard Steele (1979/1980) faced lengthy periods – from 80 to 120 days – in solitary confinement. Despite the state’s escalating punishments, including prison sentences of up to six years, the movement grew dramatically, and public refusal became a powerful form of protest. This sustained public resistance was one of the factors leading to the abolition of conscription in 1993. We hope that the rise of conscientious objectors from within Israel will have a similar effect.
A recent poll, published in Israeli newspaper Haaretz, suggests that as many as 82 percent of Israelis support “the transfer (ethnic cleansing) of residents of the Gaza Strip to other countries.” In this context it is vital not only to encourage resistance from within Israel to the genocide and occupation, but to acknowledge the bravery of those Israelis who are imprisoned for refusing to perpetrate violence against the Palestinian people.
Due to the massive backlash faced by refusers, the public announcement of one’s refusal to serve in the IDF in Israel is still rare. In this context, the sacrifices that have been made by those young Israelis who have been brave enough to go public with their reasons for refusing to serve must be supported.
Refusal to serve in the Israeli military is becoming increasingly common, with Israeli/Palestinian publication +972 Magazine reporting in April, 2025, that “over 100,000 Israelis have reportedly stopped showing up for reserve duty.”
In December, 2023, Tal Mitnick, who was 18 years old at the time, became the first Israeli since the start of the current genocide to be jailed. In February 2024, Sofi Or, also 18 at the time, was sentenced to prison for the same reason. The story of many other objectors is told on the website of Israeli conscientious objector Mattan Helman, who started the Refuser Solidarity Network.
Israel is a deeply militarised society and the IDF is the main enforcer of its aims, which currently include the removal of every last Palestinian from Gaza through bombing, shootings, forced starvation or forced removal, as well as the annexation of the West Bank.
As a movement, our opposition to Zionism stems from our Jewish values. We will continue to support and show solidarity with Israeli conscientious objectors and seek to hold those South Africans who have illegally served in the IDF accountable.
We will not rest until Palestine is completely free. A luta continua!
Issued by: SAJFP
Contact: [email protected]
BACKGROUND CONTEXT OF LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
The rise of conscientious objection, or refusal to do military service, among young Israelis represents a moment of hope in an otherwise bleak landscape. While the treatment these individuals receive is in no way comparable to the daily violence faced by Palestinians, Israeli refuseniks demonstrate immense courage by standing up against an apartheid system of occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide that deepen and perpetuate injustice. Their actions resonate deeply with those who may have felt conflicted or uncertain about the moral implications of Israeli apartheid and occupation. By voicing their dissent, these young refuseniks not only challenge the status quo of Israeli militarism and domination but also inspire others to confront their rightful moral discomfort and engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of life for all who live in Israel and historic Palestine.
Moreover, this movement provides a new strategic inroad for solidarity with people seeking a viable political future within the region. By uniting around shared values of justice and human rights, Israeli refuseniks help bridge divides, creating opportunities for understanding and joint struggle. Their stance has the potential to foster real partnerships with the solidarity movement, including activists and organisations committed to political justice and the possibility for peace.
This growing movement fosters a sense of solidarity from diverse social groupings globally, signalling that change is possible and necessary, especially in the face of despair.
South African Jews for a Free Palestine have launched this initiative to express solidarity with this growing ‘refuseniks’ movement, and to campaign to disrupt activities of Zionist groupings aimed at recruiting South Africans into the Israeli military.
The letter signed by more than 100 former South African conscientious objectors, can be read in its entirety below this statement.
24th September 2025
LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
We are writing this letter to acknowledge your courage as you take a public stand refusing to serve in the IDF or refusing to report for ongoing military service, thereby refusing to take part in Israel’s war on the Palestinian people. This is not an easy step to take as it requires a moral clarity about the injustice of this war.
Let us explain our support for your stand:
Forty odd years ago, thousands of young white South African men came to a similar conclusion. We would not support the apartheid war machine and therefore refused to serve in the South African Defence Force (SADF).
Our stand was informed by a clear belief that the compulsory military service of two years, followed by regular call-ups for further camps in the SADF, would be actively colluding with the apartheid state and the racist and discriminatory policies of the ruling National Party. Apartheid
was declared a Crime Against Humanity by the United Nations and its member states. Refusing to serve in the SADF sent a clear message to the government of the day as well as our society in general that we would not help to perpetuate a political system that was solely in the interests of the white minority, at the expense of the Black majority.
We are devastated by what is happening in Gaza. However, in such a moment as this global humanitarian crisis, refusing to serve in the IDF is a significant and powerful act. We understand that you have taken this step informed by your own understanding that you and your fellow Israeli conscripts are being used by politicians to wage an unjust and illegal war. Taking a stand of this magnitude will contribute to every effort that must be brought to bear in building peace within the Middle East, as this is the only long-term solution for all its peoples.
We know that you are being vilified and condemned by many of your fellow citizens as being traitors, cowards, sellouts, and fools. We were called the same. Take comfort that 40 years later, we are able to tell our children and grandchildren what we did to help end an unjust and illegal war. This too can be your legacy.
Strength to you in this dark time and keep shining the light for justice and a sustainable peace in the Middle East.
Luke Alfred, Antony Altbeker, Andrew Bannister, Brendan Barry, John Beadle, David Bellamy, Charles Bester, Carl Beuster, Nico Bezuidenhout, Graham Bird, Nic Borain, Glenn Bownes, Robin Bownes, Adam Broomberg, Paul Broomberg, David Bruce, Rob Campbell, Jonathan Carr, Gavin Cawthra, Theo Chaplin, Stephen Cheifitz, John Clarke, Henk Coetzee, Steve Collins, Simon Connell, Christoff Dahlberg, David de Jong, Alan Dodson, Al Dry, Cameron Dugmore, Jean du Plessis, Max du Preez, Anton Eberhard, Rolfe Eberhard, Gavin Evans, Mike Evans, Roger Field, Christopher Geertz, Mark Gevisser, Chris Giffard, Paul Graham, David Green, Rob Goldman, Stephen Hardie, Peter Hathorn, Ben Horowitz, PJ Hope, David Jammy, John Jeffery, Pete Juds, Tony Karon, David Kimber, Charles Leonard, Stephen Lowry, Nicholas Lydall, Mel Meltzer, Phillip Millar, Neil Mitchell, Brendan Moran, Timothy Mosdell, Brett Murray, Brett Myrdal, Laurie Nathan, Mark Nel, Crispian Olver, Hayden Osborn, Kevin O’Grady, Gerald O’Sullivan, Clifford Panter, Roddy Payne, Justin Pearce, Robbie Potenza, Mark Potterton, Michael Rautenbach, Jonathon Rees, Patrick Reid, Steve Reid, Hermann Reuter, Anton Richman, Edwin Ritchken, Monty Roodt, Guillaume Rossouw, Peter Sadie, David Savage, Eckart Schlotfeldt, David Schmidt, Ben Schoeman, Gustav Scholtz, Dominic Souchon, Guy Spiller, Richard Steele, Alan Storey, Noel Stott, Clive Swan, Matthew Temple, Jonathan Timm, Wim Trengove, Douglas Torr, Hugo van der Merwe, Jacob van Garderen, Howard Varney, Mike Veveiros, Anthony Waddell, David Waddilove, Andrew Warmback, Hamilton Wende, Andrew Weeks, Hylton White, Quentin Wilson, Brian Wimpey, Glen Wolter, Charles Yeats, Andre Zaaiman, Nimrod Zalk.
South African Conscientious Objectors