Israeli Refusal

Since the Hamas-led 7- October assault on southern Israel, it has been more dangerous than ever for Israeli leftists to speak out critically against their government. Activists opposing the bombardment of Gaza have faced severe repression; losing their jobs, being arrested and beaten at protests, facing harassment, and even death threats. In this photo project, Yahel and Liebe combine two photography projects documenting those who dare to speak out despite overwhelming pressure to stay silent.
In November and December, Liebe visited the homes of left-wing activists in Israel- most of whom refused to serve in the Israeli military and were condemned to spend several months in prison as a result. After the October 7th attack, they continued to resist the Israeli occupation and the bombardment and siege of Gaza. They attend weekly protests, stage actions, create anti-war performance art, and replace pro-war advertisements with anti-war posters, placards, and graffiti.
In December, Yahel decided to embark on a photography project to shed light on this climate of fear and silencing. She visited the homes and workplaces of young Jewish-Israeli anti-war activists and photographed them with their faces obscured, so they couldn’t be identified. She has included only their first names (some of which have been changed to further protect their identity), and a fragment of information about them and how they view the present moment. What emerges is a picture of how the occupation consumes not just the occupied population, but the occupying society itself.

Ben poses for a portrait on March 25, 2024. Ben, 19, was born in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. Next week he plans to refuse the draft and to be imprisoned. Ben started as a climate activist and then became an anti- occupation activist. After his imprisonment, Ben plans to travel to the West Bank, perform activism, and make Palestinian friends. He stands against the war, and against the occupation as a whole.
Einat poses for a portrait on March 28, 2024. Einat, 20, was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. When she was in high school she made some Palestinian friends that influenced her politically. When she was nineteen she refused her service and spent eighty-seven days in the womens department of a military prison. She currently participates in many anti-war protests and also participates in a protective presence of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Roman poses for a portrait on February 2, 2024. Roman, 24, born in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine came to Israel when he was three years old. After a year in the army he refused to serve, spending ninety days in solitary confinement as a result. Roman thinks the current war on Gaza is a genocide perpetuated by a settler colonial project. Roma is an anti-occupation activist who splits his time doing protective presence in the West Bank, writing for Kompass Media, and attending anti-occupation protests.
Ella poses for a portrait on March 13, 2024. Ella,17, was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Next year when she will be drafted, Ella plans to publicly refuse and use her refusal as a statement against the occupation. Ella thinks the war on Gaza is a disgusting display of the militarism and bloodlust embedded in Israeli culture. Serving the interest of money and capital and not the people. Ella believes that what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide and it is in the interest of Israeli’s and Palestinians to create a lasting and dynamic solution that achieves Palestinian sovereignty and autonomy.
Misha poses for portrait on February 4, 2024. Misha, 23, was born in Bat Yam, Israel. Misha is an anarchist that participates in “Food Not Bombs” an anti-war pacifist organization. Misha believes that violence begets violence. He believes in stopping the occupation and stopping violence in order to end the cycle. “Many Israelis don’t know any Palestinians and just see them as terrorists” Misha said when interviewed “this needs to change.”
Ella poses for a portrait on March 13, 2024. Ella,17, was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Next year when she will be drafted, Ella plans to publicly refuse and use her refusal as a statement against the occupation. Ella thinks the war on Gaza is a disgusting display of the militarism and bloodlust embedded in Israeli culture. Serving the interest of money and capital and not the people. Ella believes that what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide and it is in the interest of Israeli’s and Palestinians to create a lasting and dynamic solution that achieves Palestinian sovereignty and autonomy.
Lena, 38, is a tattoo artist and mural painting conservator. Since the war began, she has been trying to attend as many anti-war demonstrations as possible. She also became active in a movement of Jewish and Palestinian women who sit together in public spaces in silence, dressed in all white, and hold signs that demand a political agreement instead of an escalating military response. “The more I learn about the situation in Gaza, the more difficult it is for me to maintain relationships with people who have different political views than mine. When I share political content on my business Instagram, I’m sure it drives customers away.”
Oren, 35, is a doctoral student in Hebrew literature. Oren protested against the 2014 Gaza war from day one, but this time, he says, it feels completely different. “Initially, we felt that demonstrating would jeopardize the safety of the Israeli hostages in Gaza or disrespect those killed in southern Israel on 7 October. The police response to the first few demonstrations compounded those fears. We were shocked that what we perceived as a centrist sentiment was received with such harsh aggression.”
Shani, 25, is a student and part-time social media coordinator. She always thought that the occupation must end because of the harm it causes to Palestinians, but when the war started she realized the extent to which it hurts Israelis too — and not only in an indirect manner, through the militaristic and racist environment it creates. She also had to deal with the fact that her partner enlisted in the reserves. “As a leftist, I’ve never thought I’ll ever need to deal with this, and suddenly there’s an ideological and emotional difficulty. If he was a combat soldier I wouldn’t be able to date him. And it’s also simply hard to be away from a person that is close to me in such a difficult time.”
Inbal, 37, works at a human rights organization. She thinks the attack on 7 October, and the military offensive that followed in Gaza, brought both Palestinian and Israeli societies to their edge, making it hard to have any hope. At the start of the war, her relationship with her family was very tense. “My family lives near Gaza, and some of them were evacuated from their homes after suffering from massive rocket bombardments. I was torn between worrying for their safety and speaking out for the safety of the Gazan population. I left the family WhatsApp group in light of the harsh conversations. I wanted to protect myself.”
Daniel, 36, is an organizational researcher. He thinks it is important to see the war in the context of the occupation and the ongoing Nakba, rather than as a singular event. He received death threats after the war started, and was forced to temporarily move out of his home as a result. “I experienced massive political persecution due to my activism, including a digital campaign against me on social media and threats against my life”.
Yarden, 27, is an ex-orthodox Jew, whose entire family remains religious. Some of them live in settlements in the West Bank and also enlisted in the army’s reserves following the outbreak of the war. “It’s always hard for us to talk and there is a constant fear that an argument will break out, but now my brothers simply don’t talk to me or invite me over.”
Rotem, 28, is a master’s student in archeology and a manager of ranger groups. Before the war, he would drum at demonstrations against the occupation, but because of the fear of violence and the radicalization of the discourse, he has not participated in any protests in recent months. “I am more afraid than ever that my young nephews will have to enlist in the army, and that soon someone close to me will die. I am afraid for the mental health of my friends who are in the army. I fear for my personal safety due to the feeling that any person, Jewish or Palestinian, could see me as a threat, and any encounter could lead to harm.”

Talia, 22, is a student. She refused to join the army, choosing a volunteering path instead. She often goes to the West Bank with other activists in order to document settler violence. In the shadow of the horrific events in Gaza, the heightened military and settler attacks in the West Bank, and the fear for the Israeli hostages’ safety, she says it feels wrong to speak about how the war affected her. “Everything is more violent and militarized and it feels like there’s no capacity to hold compassion for pain that is not ours. I have a Palestinian friend who has been terrified of speaking out since the war started. She’s very scared by the amount of weapons in public spaces.”
Yotam, 30, is a social worker, a law student, and a training coordinator for an association that works to promote equal rights for Palestinians in Jerusalem. During Israel’s 2014 war on Gaza, he was a combat soldier. He describes a dual experience where on the one hand he explicitly condemns the war, and on the other hand, feels the need to be sensitive in situations that are incompatible with this belief. Friends he loves are fighting in Gaza, which he opposes. “However, every time they returned home in the past months, it was clear to me that first thing, I am going to see them. As someone who was a combat soldier in the Israeli military during Tzuk Eitan [Operation “Protective Edge”], for the sake of my mental health, I require myself to cut back in most situations, and only if invited to speak, will I do so”.
Daniel, 36, is an organizational researcher. He thinks it is important to see the war in the context of the occupation and the ongoing Nakba, rather than as a singular event. He received death threats after the war started, and was forced to temporarily move out of his home as a result. “I experienced massive political persecution due to my activism, including a digital campaign against me on social media and threats against my life”.
Felipe, 28, is an education student and an educator. He sees the occupation as an immense deprivation of national and political rights, not to mention access to water, land and homes. “Once I became active in struggles for human rights, justice and equality, I realized I will always be divided in two. You can either know there’s injustice and do nothing about it and feel bad for this, or you could take action but also feel the great pain that exists in these struggles. Since the war broke out, I feel I’m somewhere in between and the pain is even bigger”.
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