Eli Geva expressed his support for the selective refusal of military service, and compared his refusal to serve during the Lebanon War to the refusal of members of Courage to Refuse. Geva expressed these sentiments in an interview with Shevaa Yamim , following an article written by Chen Alon and David Zonshein, published in Yediot Aharonot online on May 30, 2004 . In their article, Alon and Zonshein, two combat officers in the reserve corps and the founders of Courage to Refuse, asked why no senior officers today in the Israeli army were adopting Geva's legacy and refusing to undertake military actions that would clearly, and to no end, endanger the lives of soldiers, the state of Israel and its citizens, and the civilian population of the territories. Geva took up the subject in his interview…
Geva was a colonel in the Israeli army during the Lebanon War; he resigned as a tank brigade commander when he realized that the Israeli army was on the verge of occupying West Beirut . In the interview, Geva compared his decision with the refusal to serve by members of Courage to Refuse…
Geva was asked about the reasons that members of the movement selectively refuse to do military service. “Zonshein and his comrades believe that their presence in Gaza or executing a certain mission in Jenin is illegal,” he said. “I agree with them 200%.”
Geva once more explained the importance of the refuseniks in his view. “Refuseniks have significant political weight,” he said. “Many politicians do not admit this publicly, but when they are alone with themselves, before the mirror, they support them.” |