Israeli woman becomes longest jailed military objector
Source: AP
JERUSALEM (AP) — A 19-year-old Israeli woman has spent more than three months in military prison in what supporters say is the longest sentence ever handed down to a female conscientious objector.
Tair Kaminer is refusing to perform compulsory military service because of her opposition to Israel's nearly 50-year military occupation of Palestinian lands. Although she is not the first conscientious objector, her lengthy jail term — coupled with a newspaper column she is keeping — are drawing additional attention to her case.
In a phone interview from jail, Kaminer said she is ready to serve the country, just not in a military capacity. She said she is seeking an exemption in order to join Israel's "national service" program, a civilian alternative usually reserved for army-age religious women that allows them to volunteer in schools and hospitals.
Kaminer said she grew up in a home where politics was often discussed, and that she has long opposed Israel's occupation of the West Bank. But her decision not to enlist was cemented while spending a year after high school volunteering with children in Sderot, a hardscrabble town on the border with the Gaza Strip. Sderot has been hit by thousands of rockets fired from Gaza over the years and has been on the front lines of three Israeli wars against Islamic militants.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/866b113373264802b76d440244207b36
I'm a yid for peace with Palestine
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