I'm in Israeli Military Jail Because I Won't Collaborate With the Occupation

The girls I meet in military prison aren't criminals. Most did trivial things and
many are from disadvantaged groups, which says a lot about our society.

Tair Kaminer Jun 23, 2016 3:16 PM

Tair KaminerTomer Appelbaum
Israeli conscientious objector sentenced to sixth term in military lock-up
Lieberman's ego is writing checks Israel may not be able to cash
The Colombian writer with Jewish roots who became a Muslim before moving to
Israel
Im in prison. Crazy, eh? Because prison, we know, is for people who break the
law, dangerous people, people who need to be punished and removed from society
for a particular reason. But I am in prison because the state does not respect
my conscience. I am in prison because I am unwilling to collaborate in the crime
known as occupation. And precisely because of that I am in a place that is
intended for criminals. But in the nutty reality of the army in Israel, its not
actually even like that.
One of the moments I like in prison is when someone new enters the cell. We all
introduce ourselves, and suddenly you can see her sense of relief, the smile that
emerges all at once from between the tears of her first days in prison. The first
days of all of us are filled with tears.
Most of the girls are really afraid to be imprisoned, for all kinds of reasons. One
of them is the prison society. Everyone is sure they are about to enter an
institution for criminals, but then they discover that the other girls are just like

them. Most are doing time for being AWOL, that is, for escaping from the army.
Why?
Many of them have to help their family economically, because there are
problems at home. Because they have younger siblings and unstable parents, so
they had to work. Some suffered badly in the army, but received no response
when requesting a transfer. Others got uptight when they were stationed far
from home, and some of the girls in this prison simply couldnt cope with the
psychological pressure resulting from all kinds of difficulties in military service.
It turns out that the Israel Defense Forces isnt suitable for everyone. There
are many girls in jail for refusing to take certain army courses or be appointed
to certain posts. Some end up there for hitchhiking, for being in breach of guard
duty, or for chutzpah, drinking alcohol or fraternizing: Soldiers are not allowed
to touch one another or be in the quarters of the opposite sex. If theres
anything that is saving me in prison its the shared feeling we all have here:
namely, that the army screwed us.
With many of the girls, it didnt start with the IDF and it wont end with it. They
were screwed by various state systems and harbor powerful anger toward the
world. The girls I meet here are not Ashkenaziot from Tel Aviv. Other than
conscientious objectors like myself, I, a Tel Avivian who was in the Israel Scouts
and went to an arts school, dont have friends from home who ended up in the
military hoosegow. Most of the girls here are from outlying areas in the country.
Its also clear that many are from immigrant families Russians or Ethiopians (I
think around 20 or 30 percent of the inmates are Ethiopian girls). Generally
speaking, Im quite sure that the proportion of certain ethnic groups in jail is not
equivalent to their proportion in the army itself. Just like in civilian life and in
regular prisons, which are packed with people the state makes a habit of
screwing.

'The army is a straight, white, Ashkenazi man of 60, and its not his daughters
who are locked up in military prisons.' (Illustrative).Nir Keidar
What does that say about our society? What does it say about the way the army
deals with different population groups? As my friend, the conscientious objector
Aiden Katri, likes to say: The army is a straight, white, Ashkenazi man of 60, and
its not his daughters who are locked up in military prisons.
For many girls, the discrimination they feel somehow legitimizes my refusal to
serve, in their eyes. They are disappointed in the system and identify with the
feeling that you have to resist. But when I talk about my desire to contribute
nonetheless, and to do National Service, a lot of girls reject that option. They
advise me not to give a minute of your life to this country, because it doesnt
deserve anything and we all must look after ourselves. Because no one else will
do that.
At the moment I won't address the fact that most of these girls are sworn
supporters of Netanyahu, which to me totally contradicts the sense of alienation
from the state and the government. But I do want to tell the story of Olga,
which left me uneasy.
Olga immigrated to Israel four years ago from Uzbekistan and renounced her
Uzbek citizenship. After living for a short time in Carmiel and learning some
Hebrew, Olga was drafted. After taking a Hebrew course on an Education Corps
base, she was sent for combat training. She really wanted to serve in Oketz, the
canine special forces unit, because she loves dogs, but was told that her poor
Hebrew ruled that out. Instead, she was posted to the Border Police, where

people address you on the street all the time, so that Hebrew is actually much
more necessary. But thats what the IDF decided.
Even so, she decided to do what was required, to serve in the Border Police and
also sign on for an extra year. Olga has no one in Israel, she lives in a soldiers
hostel and it's pretty disorienting. When she was drafted, she got a salary of
400 shekels (less than $100) a month. Her salary was raised when she became a
fighter, but her expenses still exceeded her income. Olga didnt really grasp
her financial situation; recently, she discovered she was overdrawn by 12,000
shekels (almost $3,000) at the bank. Maybe no one told her, maybe she didnt
understand because of language difficulties, but she only found out about the
deficit when her phone was disconnected. She made one small mistake and was
sentenced to 40 days in prison, which might affect her right as a lone soldier to
fly to her native land to visit her parents.
A girl who comes from a solid home and has good physical and mental "data" has
numberless doors opened for her in the IDF and afterward. But if shes
disadvantaged from the outset, she enters an insensitive, illogical system. In so
many of the stories I've encountered, no supportive hand is given to those who
have it hard. On the contrary: Instead of getting help, they get sent to jail.
This place is giving me a new perspective. A new reason not to be part of a
system that purports to be a melting pot, but in practice preserves disparities
strengthening the strong and weakening the weak. For me, the rage of those
whom the system doesnt care about, the despair at the state and the
government is directly connected to a critique of the government that acts as an
occupier and oppresses those without rights. But whats important in every
struggle we engage in and in every vision we harbor is to remember and to
believe that change is possible, and not to despair.
The army this week sentenced Tair Kaminer, 19, to a sixth consecutive prison
term, of 45 days, for refusing to serve after being drafted. When she
completes this term she will have been jailed for 170 days, far longer than any
other female conscientious objector in Israel.
Tair Kaminer
Haaretz Contributor
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