ALBAWABA – 20-year-old Sofia Orr, is making headlines in Israel for her four-month jail sentence for refusing military duty. Many Israelis agree with her impassioned statement against the Gaza war. "If staying in prison means retaining my humanity, I'm willing to endure it," she wrote.
Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed tens of thousands of Palestinian people since October 7. Young Israelis are increasingly protesting these activities. The Israeli NGO Yesh Gvul reports a record rise of conscientious objectors. These dissidents include Sofia Orr, incarcerated since February.
Sofia's letter, delivered by her friend Ella Kidar during a Jerusalem protest, has become a credo for Israeli youth against violence. She said, "If my silence can prevent dehumanization, I'm ready to face the consequences and remain in prison." From her cell, she said, "I must declare, even from here, that Palestinians are human beings."
Most people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea want peace and security, Sofia said. She said that the conflict and dehumanization hurt both sides' majorities. She said Israeli and Palestinian fates are entwined and that violence drags more people into it.
Sofia told Israeli independent news sites +972 and Local Call that the scenario violates her ideals before her detention. She thinks resisting is important now. She believed only peace and political solutions could provide true security. Sofia rejected required military duty before the war, alleging Israel's occupation and mistreatment of West Bank Palestinians.
Sofia recognized that some find her "naive, traitorous, or even anti-Semitic." She has had unfavorable family and friend responses. Yesh Gvul was founded in 1982 to promote military objectors and oppose Palestinian occupation and preferred wars.
