We Refuse | Martin Barzilai

We Refuse: Saying No to the Army in Israel — Martin Barzilai (with Foreword by Eyal Sivan)

Product Description

We Refuse: Saying No to the Army in Israel provides a poignant, necessary glimpse into the lives of Israeli citizens who make the heavy choice to defy state orders. In a nation where military service in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) is highly mandatory and deeply embedded within social and national identity, choosing to say "no" carries profound personal and legal consequences.

Through a powerful combination of raw firsthand interviews and visual journalism, photographer and editor Martin Barzilai presents the testimonies of modern "refuseniks"—men and women from diverse backgrounds who refuse to participate in military operations in the West Bank and Gaza. From teenagers facing intense military interrogation to former soldiers experiencing moral awakenings, this book humanizes the choice to resist conformity in favor of conscience.

Key Features & Themes

• Raw Firsthand Testimonies: Features unfiltered, direct accounts from Israeli conscientious objectors explaining their personal paths to resistance.
• Post-October 7 Updates: Includes crucial follow-up interviews exploring how recent escalations have shifted societal views and heightened the stakes of refusal.
• Systemic Critique: Examines the deeply ingrained culture of militarization and how the state apparatus isolates dissidents.
• Visual Storytelling: Leveraged by Barzilai’s expertise as a documentary photographer to put a human face on political dissent.

About the Authors

Martin Barzilai is an acclaimed Paris-based documentary photographer and journalist. He has spent years documenting political dissident movements, social justice issues, and international resistance narratives, utilizing both text and photography to offer a humanizing light on complex political climates.

Eyal Sivan, who provides the book's insightful foreword, is an internationally recognized Israeli filmmaker, essayist, and scholar known for his critical documentary works focusing on the geopolitics of the Middle East and state-mandated memory.

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