Why I Refused to Continue to Serve in this War

I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you what made me take the drastic
action that I did.

First of all Olmert and Chalutz have already publicly declared that they can
not promise that they will be able to stop the Hizbullah rockets falling on
Northern Israel.

In addition, the UN is now working on a draft resolution that will allow a
multi national force to patrol South Lebanon and give Lebanon a protected
country status which means that if any other country attacks it, the
international community can then attack back.

Basically, put together, this all means that once the multi-national force is
in South Lebanon and the Hizbullah continue to shoot rockets on Israel, Israel
can NOT defend itself because, if it did, the international community would have
the legal right to attack Israel. This is the ceasefire Israel will be forced
to accept with the direction of the current political leadership.

What does this all have to do with my refusing to serve in the war up North?


Because the best of our soldiers are fighting and dying in house to house
combat in Lebanon and millions of Israelis are refugees because our government
places the lives of the enemy civilians over the lives of our own this is not
a way to fight, period, and definitely not a way to fight a war that must be
won.

Because our government no longer intends to stop the rockets in the North,
just like it has made peace with the fact that the rockets in the South are a
fact of life that Israelis have to live with as well.

Because Olmert is already on record saying that this war is being used to
ensure that an international recognized border is implemented on the East as
well, via the destruction of more yishuvim and the expulsion of more Jews from
their homes in Yehuda and Shomron.

Because this war is allowing Olmert to assist the Hizbullah in setting up
rockets in destroyed communities in Yehuda and Shomron to then fire on Tel Aviv
and the Mercaz

I'm all for beating the Hizbullah, but wake up and realize that is not what
Olmert is trying to do! He already admitted that dismantling the Hizbullah is no
longer a demand in any future ceasefire and Israel is not even demanding that
the international force disarm them but the demand concerning the Hizbullah
will be some lukewarm demand that basically means the Hezbullah will stay put in
Lebanon (maybe a few kilometers away from the border - a lot of good with
rockets that fly 150 kilometers)!

So why are we fighting this war?

Our brave soldiers are dying STAM fighting house to house in a war so that
Olmert can prove to Israelis that we need to destroy yishuvim in Yehuda and
Shomron in order to place a border on the West Bank an act that will then
allow the Hizbullan to fire rockets from the hills of Yehuda and Shomron on the
rest of Israel.

I have taken the very uncomfortable step of refusing to serve in this war in
order to give across a message to the rest of Israel wake up! This war is more
about disinformation and public statements (JUST LIKE THE GERUSH) and less about
actual victorious results.

The government has already given up the fight, the fighting now is just to
"look victorious" before a cease fire is implemented, but the Hizbullah has
already won they have proven to the Arab world that rockets could be shot on
Israel and Israel WON'T do what is necessary to stop it.

Israel CAN do what is necessary, but Israel's current leadership is focused
making ourselves look good in the eyes of the world and not about protecting its
citizens or soldiers. The political echelon and the army leadership no longer
have the moral capacity to defend us as a country.

This is what I protest!

Unless the leadership leading this war changes and the target becomes to beat
the Hizbullah so that NO more rockets fall on Israel in the future from the
North (or from the South) using all military means necessary (and NOT placing
the lives of civilians protecting the enemy before the lives of our own
civilians and soldiers) then I call on the Israeli government to stop this war
now instead of using Israeli civilians and soldiers as pawns in the war to
ensure re-alignment, that will put all of Israel in danger.

Somehow this message has to get across because not enough of us are seeing
through the media spins, so I took it upon myself to take this drastic action so
that people can hopefully start to wake up.

Olmert's public statement on his real purpose of the war (to ensure the
re-alignment plan) allowed me to finally get up the guts to take off my uniform.
He finally revealed the truth for everyone to hear and I thought it would be an
immoral act to let it get by without any public outcry against the way this war
is being manipulated.

I know many of you will disagree with me, but I have had enough of the years
of derelict Israeli policy that has made Jewish lives hefker in our own country.

With all the justification to fight this war please realize that the way our
current leadership is running it, it is yet another derelict policy proving how
Jewish blood is hefker the government has already gone on record that it
doesn't intend to win the war, rather cause as much damage as possible to the
Hizbullah before a ceasefire. Hence the Hizbullah (who will continue to get
rockets from Iran and Syria after a ceasefire) will have won regardless of the
media spins our politicians will come up with.

Yes, we must beat the Hizbullah, AND Syria AND Iran (the real handlers behind
the Hizbullah) but that is not what this war is about unfortunately.

I pray for the safety for all my friends and comrades who are up North
fighting for those who disagree with my action and for those who agree with me
but told me that they are too afraid of the consequences for joining me in my
act.

Screaming this at the top of our lungs after the war would be too late, Am
Yisrael needs to hear this now to hopefully help stop this from all happening
and sometimes drastic actions are necessary to get messages across. Believe me,
this step is most painful for ME and not for any of you who have the luxury of
throwing your two cents into an email and not paying any consequences. This is a
well thought out life decision that will have repercussions on my life today and
in the future in ways that are impossible for me to know today but I took the
decision anyway because I thought it was the correct thing to do.

Disagree with me if you must but also please show respect for a fellow Jew,
neighbor and possibly friend who took a life effecting decision for the benefit
of Am Yisrael.

Achdut is very very important, it is what I strive to achieve day in and day
out as a Jew, but when that feeling of achdut and our actual LIVES, as
civilians and soldiers, are being manipulated and used cynically by politicians
and army generals, then I believe it is better to cause a ruckus to help people
realize that true achdut will only come when the leadership in the country is
true and moral then go along with the charade. The current "achdut" that
everyone wants to preserve in this time of war is only bringing the country to
an even lower level of security and morality than it was at before.

As a little kid in New York City I dreamt of one day serving as an Israeli
soldier and defending the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. I fulfilled that
dream by becoming an infantry soldier in Golani. I have now taken a decision
that stops me from being able to serve again to defend my country on the
battlefield. I cry as I write these words, it is not something that I'm proud
of, not at all. I will have to explain this act to my children whom I hope will
one day be proud soldiers in an Israeli army based on true morality and Jewish
pride. But I will no longer be a pawn of a crooked establishment that has, and
continues to make Jewish lives hefker. No more.

I'm willing to act and pay the price for my decision - what about you?