Al-Quds – Saba:
An Israeli enemy army reserve officer was sent to military prison on Thursday after refusing to return to fighting in Gaza.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Ron Weiner, 26, was sent to a military prison to serve a 20-day sentence due to his "conscientious objection to continuing to fight."
Ron Weiner, a company commander in the 8207th Battalion of the Israeli enemy army, participated for 270 days in the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon. However, when he decided to refuse to return to fighting, he was sentenced to 20 days in military prison, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper quoted Weiner as saying that he refused the latest conscription orders "in an attempt to make a clear statement against government policy."
It reported that Weiner belongs to the "Soldiers for the Kidnapped" organization, which includes more than 300 reservists who have declared their opposition to the continuation of the genocide and their refusal to continue serving in the reserves. The newspaper said, "According to the organization, Weiner participated in three separate rounds of active combat on the northern front, commanded battles in Lebanon, and led a force under fire to rescue wounded soldiers in an incident in the village of Aitaroun, in which six IDF soldiers were killed."
It added, "Last year, Weiner signed two letters of refusal, but he nevertheless returned to duty out of a commitment to his subordinates and the members of his unit."
The newspaper quoted Weiner as saying that he only recently chose to stop serving "when he realized that efforts to free the hostages had stalled, and that the government preferred to return to fighting in Gaza at the expense of their sacrifices."
It added, quoting him before he entered prison, "My battalion commander sentenced me to 20 days in prison. As a combat officer, I spent 270 days in the reserves since October 7, 2023, and spent many months in service, constantly putting my life in danger and sacrificing my civilian life. I am astonished by this unprecedented and disproportionate punishment."
Feiner said, "I told the battalion commander that I refuse to continue serving. I am driven by the same values that drove me to serve and fight: I feel like my future here is slipping through my fingers."
He continued, "When the government explicitly declares that the kidnapped are at the bottom of the list of priorities, when (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich apologizes to his public for not starving the residents of Gaza and not committing these war crimes, and when the fighters in my platoon are called up for hundreds of days of reserve duty, I can no longer convince them to participate. I bear responsibility as a commander, and I refuse on their behalf as well."
Feiner added, "Even though the government is willing to throw its future in the trash, I remain concerned. I am shocked by the endless war in Gaza, the neglect of the hostages, the ongoing deaths of innocents, and the lack of political vision, and I feel morally incapable of continuing to serve as long as this situation does not change. I must resist in every way possible until the war ends."
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