Ometz L’Sarev, or Courage to Refuse, is a group of over 500 courageous Israeli army officers who refuse to serve in the occupied territories. I recently wrote about them. This article from the Ha’aretz weekend magazine, gives some background about the movement, and the difficulties they are facing in getting their message across.
On a panel I was recently on, I noted that while “Peace Now” is a beautiful slogan, it doesn’t fit political reality. The settlement movement has been working since 1967 to take over Israeli society. They succeeded in part, because they always had a long range view and never were discouraged about being in the minority. The left has to adopt the same tactics. Work at the grass roots and focus on clear goals, and not get frustrated at the temporary setbacks of a long term process.
On the panel with me was a representative from Peace Now. Some people said my comments were insulting to him and his movement. I think not. It took 17 years for the left to get Israel out of Lebanon. I wasn’t blaming Peace Now for that. But we have to be realistic. The battle against the occupation is far more difficult. Change won’t come overnight.