The Limits of Militarized Citizenship Agency, Intersectionality and Marginality Among Israeli Draft Refusers
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THE LIMITS OF MILITARIZED CITIZENSHIP AGENCY, INTERSECTIONALITY AND MARGINALITY AMONG ISRAELI DRAFT REFUSERS Wetenschappelijke verhandeling Aantal woorden: 22506 Fien De Meyer Stamnummer: 01105499 Promotor: Prof. dr. Christopher Parker Copromotor: Prof. dr. Omar Suliman-Jabary Salamanca Wetenschappelijke verhandeling voorgelegd voor het behalen van de graad Master-na-Master in de richting Conflict & Development Academiejaar: 2016 - 2017 ii Inzagerecht in de masterproef (*) Ondergetekende, ……………………………………………………. geeft hierbij toelating / geen toelating (**) aan derden, niet-behorend tot de examencommissie, om zijn/haar (**) proefschrift in te zien. Datum en handtekening ………………………….. …………………………. Deze toelating geeft aan derden tevens het recht om delen uit de scriptie/ masterproef te reproduceren of te citeren, uiteraard mits correcte bronvermelding. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (*) Deze ondertekende toelating wordt in zoveel exemplaren opgemaakt als het aantal exemplaren van de scriptie/masterproef die moet worden ingediend. Het blad moet ingebonden worden samen met de scriptie onmiddellijk na de kaft. (**) schrappen wat niet past iii ABSTRACT (NL) Deze masterproefanalyse gaat dieper in op legerdienstweigering in Israël als een complex en identitair gegeven. Hierbij wordt afgeweken van algemene theorievorming, berichtgeving en publieke opinie die legerdienstweigering louter benaderen als een verzetsvorm tegen de bezetting van de Palestijnen. De analyse benadrukt de privileges die dergelijke gewetensbezwaarden bezitten op basis van o.a. klasse, gender, ras, etniciteit, religie en algemene burgerschapstatus. Dat militaire dienstweigering vervolgens niet mogelijk of aantrekkelijk is voor zij die deze privileges niet bezitten, hangt in zekere mate samen met de verwachting dat militaire opoffering en loyaliteit een positieve invloed zou hebben op status en burgerschap in Israël. Echter, wanneer deze verwachtingen niet worden ingevuld, kan dit eveneens aanleiding geven tot weigering van legerdienst omwille van onenigheid met het beleid van de staat, het leger en/of de machtigste Ashkenazi groepen in Israël. Deze bevindingen overstijgen analyses van legerdienstweigering door gemarginaliseerde individuen die louter steunen op socio- economische achtergrond om dergelijke dienstweigering te verklaren. Door de weigeringsnarratieven van Israëlische Ethiopiërs, Mizrahi en Druze "in de marges” te bestuderen, wordt legerdienstweigering benaderd als een fenomeen dat gevormd wordt door rationele 'agents' die balanceren tussen staatsloyaliteit en anti-hegemonisch verzet. Ten slotte wordt het feministische concept ‘intersectionaliteit’ gehanteerd om aan te tonen welke gebreken de huidige Israëlische gewetensbezwaarden en Ashkenazi progressieven vertonen in het aanpakken van Israëls interne problemen. De intersectionele analyse legt tevens bloot welke verbanden er al dan niet gelegd worden tussen de Israëlische dienstweigeraars in de marge enerzijds, en de Palestijnen anderzijds. iv FOREWORD The writing of my final master's dissertation has been a challenging and interesting pleasure. This journey started with a profound interest in Israeli Jewish dissidence, Israeli identity struggles, military draft refusal and feminist literature; topics I was eventually able to combine in one, comprehensive research. The process of outlining this research was one that slowly came to grow as I learned more about Israeli society and its multicultural composition. In accordance with most media reports and academic literature, I was initially drawn to conscientious objection as a means of dissent. However, after conducting several interviews in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, I came to realize that I was missing important narratives of draft refusal that do not fit in the traditional box of conscientious objection or anti-occupation resistance. In order to render these alternative voices their agency, I adapted my research and thoroughly analyzed their positionality, identity struggles and military refusal narratives. However, this work would not have been possible without the insights and advice I gained from several people. I would like to thank Prof. dr. Christopher Parker for the confidence he had in me when I presented him with my final thematic ideas, as well as the autonomy I received navigating my way through these topics. Moreover, Prof. dr. Parker has been a passionate guide and mentor during our field work trip to Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories, where I gained a profound interest in Israeli society and the Palestinian cause. I would also like to thank Ruth Hiller, Khaled Farrag, Tom Mehager, Michel Warschawski, Yasmin Yablonko, Meir Amor and Tair Kaminer for their time and effort to talk to me about their understanding of draft refusal in Israel. While my dissertation is not integrally based on these interviews, the acquired insights have helped me to demarcate my research topic as well as build up my final conclusion. I would also like to thank Maartje Van Poppel and Nathan Gryp for helping me carry out most of these interviews during our stay in Israel. v Lastly, I am grateful for the words of support from my parents, grandparents, sisters and friends that kept me motivated during the final months of this research. It is with the support of all these people that I am able to hand in my master's dissertation with a feeling of pride and gratification. vi TABLE OF CONTENT FOREWORD ..................................................................................................................................... INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1. Draft Obligations and Resistance to Israeli Military Service .......................................... 1 1.1. The Pioneers Of Draft Refusal ....................................................................................... 1 1.2. The Emergence of Draft Refusal as a Political Tool ....................................................... 1 1.3. The Feminist Military Refusal Narrative .......................................................................... 6 2. The Military and Questions of Citizenship ..................................................................... 11 3. The Current Landscape of Military Service and Refusal by Groups in the Margins .. 14 3.1. Military Service and Rejection by Arab Israelis: Countering Divide and rule ................... 14 3.1.1. Israeli Druze: The History of a Coopted Minority ....................................................... 15 3.1.2. Christian and Bedouin Arabs: Israel's Quest for Volunteers ...................................... 16 3.1.3. Palestinian/Arab Counter Narratives of Military Service and Draft Refusal ............... 18 3.2. Military Service by Jewish Groups in the Margin ............................................................. 22 3.2.1. Military Service and Citizenship: Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews in Israel ..................... 23 3.2.1.1. Stigmatization, Racism and Identity Struggle ...................................................... 23 3.2.1.2. Jewish Military Service along Ethnic Lines .......................................................... 28 3.2.1.3. Alternative Narratives of Jewish Military Refusers in the Margin ........................ 31 3.2.2. Beyond the Mosaic of Identities and Discourse ......................................................... 37 4. Intersectionality of Movements and Struggles: Draft Refusal as Commonality ......... 38 4.1. The Intersections between Mizrahim, Ethiopian Jews and Palestinians ...................... 40 4.2. The Complicity of Israeli Conscientious Objectors and the Ashkenazi Left .................. 44 4.3. Intersectional Initiatives and the Role of Feminism ...................................................... 47 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 52 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 56 vii INTRODUCTION For over decades, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have played a significant role in Israeli state and nation building. The obligatory military draft imposed after the establishment of the state encouraged all Israeli citizens to contribute to the Zionist ideal of building a Jewish State – a state that had to be protected from Arab and Palestinian hostilities. Through consecutive wars and military offensives in the name of defense, the IDF and its soldiers succeeded in gaining status, authority and prestige in Israel. Hence, for a long time, contributing to the state through military performance was perceived as a normalcy; a rite of passage through which every Israeli could prove its worth to the state. Nevertheless, no military institution or state apparatus ever remains internally unchallenged. For over decades, the media and academic literature have reported a slow but steady rise in the amount of individuals rejecting their military service. As most Israeli citizens are obligated by law to carry out their military duties, the rejection thereof can lead to community stigmatization, thwarted future prospects, and even military imprisonment. Those who consciously decide to refuse army service out of disagreement with the state's policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, often