Yesh Gvul! Phonetically, this is modern Hebrew and it means, “There is a limit!”
This phrase has been a mantra for the soldiers in the Israeli Defense Force who have recently become conscientious objectors to Ariel Sharon’s military orders. Close to 300 IDF soldiers have already refused orders to invade the West Bank and Gaza Strip areas of Israel. Others reject outright any conscription into the IDF.
Essentially, they have become virtual enemies of the state; Sharon blasted them in a speech last Friday as “providing encouragement for the terrorists.”
Sharon’s ignorant interpretation of the situation is wrong; these “refuseniks” are instrumental in doing away with political stereotypes, and their presence positively affects both sides of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict.
On one hand, ultra-right Zionists will know they can only go so far with their fanaticism because some of their own soldiers have a conscience.
Equally as important, fundamentalist Palestinian Arabs will not have an open-and-shut case on the alleged demonic nature of the Israelis and the IDF. They have tried to demonize the IDF ever since the days of the Palmach, the original Israeli army.
Media coverage of intrepid Israeli commandos storming defenseless villages and trembling Palestinian mothers shaped world view of the conflict, creating an “enemy” and an “aggressor,” as well as designated “victims.”
It is ridiculous to label one side of the conflict as being the ultimate aggressor or victim, especially since recent intifada and military strikes give intellectuals of both poles ample ammunition to argue injustice.
The refuseniks are crossing a threshold, balancing the war effort they represent and the peace they consciously seek. They have already blurred many stereotypes, and have the capacity to force a redefinition of the conflict’s major political players
Luckily, the refuseniks’ movement seems to be gaining momentum.
According to Reserve Major Ishai Menuchin, director of the aptly named conscientious objector group Yesh Gvul, the 273 recent refuseniks are only one part of a larger movement.
“We are talking about 20,000 soldiers who do not show up for reserve duty, which constitutes a huge chunk of the reserve pool. The fact is, fewer and fewer grown men are willing to risk their lives protecting some God-forsaken roadblock near Nablus,” he said.
The Israeli army does not agree with Menuchin’s figures, but Yesh Gzul claims to have helped over 400 soldiers refuse reserve duty since the beginning of the recent intifada in September 2000.
Most of these conscientious objectors say their major gripe is the unnecessary firing that occurs daily. The rolling tanks outside the West Bank, the continual assassinations of suspected militants and the demolition of homes are all symptoms of the Sharon-perpetuated problem: 30 years of daily, undignified control of Palestinian’s lives.
Israeli soldiers are tired of taking orders from a trigger-happy government. For the first time, they are breaking taboos concerning the borders, Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and the Palestinian-occupied territories.
Israelis are realizing they can do just as much for “Eretz Yisrael” by focusing on peace, instead of the military defense.
Most would stand at the borders in a heartbeat if they believed their cause was just, but today nothing is certain. Ironically, Yesh Gzul has another meaning in Hebrew, “There’s a border.”