Interview with human rights activist, Yonatan Shapira -- Powerful and inspiring.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

Run time: 49:38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lUDACBj9P0   Posted on YouTube: February 08, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 31, 2008 By DU Member: Mr_Jefferson_24 Views on DU: 642

 

http://www.combat4peace.com/resources/Yonatan+photo.JPG

Yonatan joined the Israeli Defense Force in 1991 and graduated from the Israel Air Force flight course in 1993. He served as a regular in the Air Force until 1999. While a regular, he flew primarily as a rescue and assault helicopter pilot, completing well over 100 missions, including missions in Lebanon.

In 2001, while a civilian pilot and member of the Reserves, Yonatan was called back to service to become one of the founding members of the Israel Air Force's new Black Hawk squadron, for which he received specialized training in Alabama. Following initiation of the squadron, he resumed his status in the reserves. As a reservist, he served as a pilot, operations leader and instructor.

In October 2003, Yonatan, along with 26 others, signed a declaration refusing to participate in aerial attacks on populated areas in the Palestinian Territories because of the belief that these attacks are illegal, immoral and do not serve the security of Israel. Following this act, he was dismissed from service by the Israeli Air Force commander, General Dan Halutz.

Yonatan lives in Tel Aviv where, in addition to his work as a pilot, he volunteers for "SELA," the Israeli Crisis Management Center, an organization dedicated to aiding new immigrants and victims of terror.

Currently, Yonatan is working to complete a Masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.He composes and sings songs related to his political/humanitarian work.

Source: http://www.combat4peace.com/2.html

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

1. Here's part of a discussion/interview he participated in...

...talking with Amy Goodman:

AMY GOODMAN: In the midst of this deepening crisis, I spoke to an Israeli and Palestinian peace activist: Yonatan Shapira and Bassam Aramin. They are from a group called Combatants for Peace that’s made up of former fighters from both Israel and Palestine. Bassam Aramin spent seven years in an Israeli prison, was an armed member of Fatah, the Palestinian political faction once led by Yasser Arafat. Bassam’s ten-year-old daughter Abir died one year ago after being shot by Israeli soldiers while she was on her way home from school. Yonatan Shapira is a captain in the Israeli Air Force and Black Hawk pilot squadron—well, he was. In 2003, he authored the “Pilots’ Letter,” refusing to participate in attacks against Palestinians.

I spoke to the two former fighters on Thursday about their efforts for peace and their thoughts on attacks in Gaza. I started by asking Yonatan Shapira how he went from being a pilot in the Israeli military to a peace activist.

YONATAN SHAPIRA: I was a captain in the Israeli Air Force and flew Black Hawk, which is mostly rescue helicopter in the Israeli Air Force. And after a long, long process of becoming aware of the world they live in and mostly the occupation and the war crimes that my government and my army is part of, I decided to refuse to be part of this circle of revenge. The reason for that were many. I think especially the assassinations that started to happen during the Sharon government, especially one assassination that caused the loss of many innocents, fifteen innocent, including nine children and babies, that led me and many of my friends—

AMY GOODMAN: What was your involvement in that?

YONATAN SHAPIRA: Oh, I was not involved in any shooting directly on anyone, because I flew rescue missions and I landed commando forces. But I felt that it doesn’t matter. If you shoot yourself or you land soldiers that are shooting someone or your friend in the other squadron is dropping bombs on innocents, once you are part of it, once you are part of a society even, once you are part of the world, you have responsibility, especially if you’re part of an air force that is being sent on a daily basis to kill. And most of the people who died there are innocents, just like happened in the last days.

And I found other people in the air force that agree with me and were willing to sign the letter that I authored saying that we are no longer willing to follow illegal and immoral orders. That was called the “Pilots’ Letter." We published it in September 2003.

AMY GOODMAN: And how unusual was that letter?

YONATAN SHAPIRA: We were not the first Israeli refusers. We were not the first Israelis to say we are not going to be part of these war crimes anymore. But it’s the first time that a pilot organized and did something like that. And in Israel, which, as you know, it’s a very militaristic society, when the pilots are saying something like that, it broke a lot of—people were pissed off. People saw it as a rebellion. That was more than four years ago.

Later on, we decided that it’s important to refuse, but just refusing to be part of something illegal and immoral and just refusing to be part of war crimes is not enough. You have to try to fix the wrongdoing that you were part of. And then, with many other people who refused to military service and to be part of the occupation in the Israeli side and Palestinian ex-fighters in the Palestinian side, people who were many years in Israeli prisons, we formed this group, which we called “Combatants for Peace.” In Arabic, it’s ; and in Hebrew, . I know the name is a bit militaristic itself, but the idea is that we are going to have a joint struggle this time. And, in a way, the Israelis who woke up, the ex-fighters, are joining the Palestinian nonviolent struggle for liberation. And this is something that didn’t happen before. We have a lot of organizations of Israelis and Palestinians that are struggling together against the occupation, but not as former fighters.

Source: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/22/as_gaza_plunges_into_darkness_israeli

[Hope And Change]

2. Kick!