In Israel, there are those who disagree with their government's methods in the war in Gaza.
Among them, Ben Arad, who, at 18, must enlist for his mandatory military service.
Instead, he tells the crowd, he is choosing to go to jail.
A team from CNN found him in Tel Aviv on his last day of freedom.
“I don’t refuse because I’m afraid of being injured or killed in military action. I have a very, very deep repulsion for the things I see happening,” said Arad.
Things, he says, that the Israeli media doesn't care about, but that he looks for in international networks and online.
“I think something that really broke my heart was the flour massacre. So to see people trampling on each other to get food, I mean, you just can't deny that hunger exists. That people are hungry”, he added.
Thus, on Monday (1), Ben Arad surrendered, becoming one of the few so-called “refusenik”, a Soviet-era term used to mean that emigrants could not leave the country, and who will make his decision public from the beginning of the war.
In a country where military service marks the beginning of adult life for Israelis, apart from those exempt for religious reasons, the war turned this movement into a political act.
“I was called a traitor. I've been told I need to be deported or asked why I don't just move out. I mean, it's not terrible things. I still got it. I’ll get that when I go to jail,” said the teenager.
Still, Ben says he's determined to give up his freedom to remain free from a war he simply doesn't believe in.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
