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Breaking news on the Israeli national security state

Israeli Activists Urge IDF Pilots to Refuse Orders to Attack Iran

August 9, 2012 by Richard Silverstein 5 Comments

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Israeli peace activists have created an online petition which calls for IAF pilots to refuse to participate in war against Iran.  Though the pilot corps is among the most élite of the entire army, there is a long tradition of resistance within the IDF to serving the Palestinian and Lebanese Occupations.  I’m including both the English and Farsi versions (thanks to Prof. Muhammad Sahimi for the translation) of the Call so that Iranians and English-speakers can read and disseminate it.  Though Iranians undoubtedly know that there are those who oppose an Israeli war against them, it never hurts to remind them–and the world, that there is dissent within Israel about this course.

Perhaps in preparation for such an eventuality, an Israeli (I presume) source has released a list of 100 Israeli air force officers.  All of them should think about having their names and images associated with not just an Israeli military disaster, but potential war crimes if radioactive material escapes from one of the stricken Iranian plants and harms civilian populations.  If you think this is unlikely, remember Fukushima.

A call upon Israeli Air Force pilots to refuse to bomb Iran

To: Air Force pilots
Israel Defense Forces

Greetings,

We issue this appeal to you out of a deep sense of concern and anxiety at the present situation in this country. We know a little bit through the media, and much more is happening behind the scenes, of which we may know only when it is too late. We do not know your names, your family status, your views or your opinions. We do know one thing – at this moment our fate, our very future, lies very much in your hands.

In the near future, possibly within weeks, you may get the fateful order – to man the planes and take off for the task of bombing Iran. You will have, of course, the choice of obeying the order, accepting the arguments and assertions of those who give it without questions, and striving to perform the task to your best professional ability. This would amount to accepting the argument that bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities is essential for the defense of the State of Israel, thereby also accepting that you will be firing the first shot in a war whose results might be catastrophic for all of us.

This, however, is not the only choice open to you. You also have the option of saying “No”. Certainly, this is not a simple option. It involves profound professional and moral dilemmas, and carries the risk of losing a career which is important to you and also the possibility of being prosecuted. Nevertheless, it is your duty to consider most carefully and seriously the possibility that by saying the little word “No”, you will be rendering an important and vital service to the State of Israel and all who live here. This service would be infinitely more important than blind obedience to this particular order.

We would like to reiterate a few points with which you are probably familiar already, but each one of which deserves consideration at the moment of decision:

– By all accounts, an Israeli attack, even one that has maximum success in achieving its objectives, would not result in more than a delay of a year or two in the Iranian nuclear program.

– Such an attack might strengthen the Iranian regime and force its most bitter opponents at home to close ranks behind it. Such an attack might also affect the unstable situation in the entire region in unpredictable ways, which could cause serious damage to Israel.

– An Israeli attack on Iran could result in an Iranian retaliatory attack on Israeli cities, a situation for which the Israeli home front is far from ready and through which it might sustain heavy losses.

– An attack on Iranian nuclear facilities might cause the dispersal of radioactive materials among civilian populations, and in that case Israel as a country, as well as those carrying out the bombing might be charged with war crimes.

– An Israeli attack on Iran and the war that would break out in its wake might lead to the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz, a major disruption of the global oil supply, a sharp rise in oil prices, and a severe aggravation of the global economic crisis. In that case, the public in Europe and the United States might lay the blame on Israel, with very serious and far-reaching consequences.

And finally: We know that when you go out on a mission, you are ready to accept all the personal risks involved in carrying it out. Still, you should take into account the possibility that in the unfortunate case of even one of you being captured, the State of Israel would face moral and political dilemmas dwarfing those involved in the case of Gilad Shalit.

To sum up, we regard a decision to launch an attack on Iran as a highly mistaken gamble, which would entail severe risks for the State of Israel and would not solve the basic problem. As already mentioned, even the best operational success would not stop the Iranian nuclear program but only delay it – and for this temporary delay all of us would have to pay an exorbitant price, possibly a terrible one. You, the Air Force pilots – more than anyone else – have in your hands the real power to avert this disaster.

No one can make the decision for you. We hope – for your sake as well as ours – that should the moment come, you will be able to make the right decision.
تقاضا از خلبانان نیروی هوائی اسرائیل برای سر باز زدن از بمباران ایران

تقاضای ما از شما به خاطر نگرانی و تشویش عمیق ما از شرایط داخلی‌ در حال
حاضر کشور است. ما فقط کمی‌ از طریق مطبوعات اطلاع داریم، ولی‌ خیلی‌
چیزها در پس پرده در حال اتفاق افتادن هستند، که ممکن است که از آنها فقط
وقتی‌ آگاه شویم که دیر باشد. ما نام شما، وضع خانواد‌گی شما و عقاید شما
را نمی‌‌دانیم. ولی‌ یک چیز را حتما میدانیم و آن اینستکه در این زمان
سرنوشت ما و آینده ما در دست شما میباشد.

در آینده نزدیک، احتمالاً در چند هفته آینده، به شما این دستور سرنوشت
ساز را خواهند داد که سوار هواپیماهای خود شده تا ایران را بمب باران
کنید. شما البته این انتخاب را خواهید داشت که از دستور اطاعت کرده،
دلایل آنهائی را که دستور را صادر میکنند را بدون هیچ پرسشی قبول کرده، و
تلاش کنید که به بهترین شکل ممکن وظیفه خودرا انجام دهید. این به این
معنی‌ خواهد بود که شما قبول دارید که بمباران ایران برای دفاع از
اسرائیل لازم است، و شما اولین هدف گیری در جنگی که نتایج آن میتواند
برای همه ما فاجعه ای‌‌ عظیم باشد را انجام دهید.

ولی‌ این تنها انتخاب شما نخواهد بود. شما میتوانید “نه‌” را انتخاب
کنید. البته این انتخاب ساده ای‌‌ نیست. غرور حرفه ای‌‌ و مسائل اخلاقی‌
در میان هستند، انجام این کار ریسک از دست دادن شغل شما را شامل میشود، و
حتا ممکن است که محاکمه شوید. در عین حال این وظیفه شما است که به این
موضوع توجه کنید که با گفتن کلمه کوچک “نه‌” شما خدمت بزرگ و سرنوشت سازی
به اسرائیل و همه ما که اینجا زندگی‌ می‌کنیم می‌کنید. این خدمت بسیار
مهمتر از اطاعت کورکورانه از این دستور بخصوص خواهد بود.

مایلیم چندین نکته را که شما هم ممکن است بدانید تأکید کنیم، که هر کدام
از آنها باید در لحظه تصمیم گیری مورد توجه باشند:

بر طبق همهٔ برآورد ها، حمله اسرائیل به ایران حتا در بهترین و موفق
آمیز‌ترین شکل آن برنامه هسته ای‌‌ ایران را فقط برای یک تا دو سال عقب
خواهد انداخت.

چنین حمله ای‌‌ رژیم ایران را نیرومند تر خواهد کرد و نیروهای مخالف رژیم
در داخل ایران را مجبور خواهد کرد که از رژیم حمایت کنند. چنین حمله ای‌‌
شرایط بی‌ ثبات منطقه را هم تحت تأثیر قرار خواهد داد از راه هایی غیر
قابل پیش بینی‌، که به اسرائیل صدمه خواهند زد.

حمله اسرائیل به ایران ممکن است باعث حمله متقابل ایران به شهر‌های
اسرائیل شود، وضعیتی که شهر‌های اسرائیل که آماده جنگ نیستند در آن
خسارات زیادی خواهند دید.

حمله اسرائیل به ایران ممکن است باعث پخش مواد رادیو اکتیو در میان
شهروندان غیر نظامی ایرانی‌ شود، و در آن صورت اسرائیل به عنوان کشور
حمله کننده و هم چنین اشخاصی‌ که حمله را انجام داده اند برای جنایات
جنگی  تحت محاکمه توسط دادگاههای بین‌المللی قرار خواهند گرفت.

حمله اسرائیل به ایران و جنگ ممکن است باعث بسته شدن تنگه هرمز شود، و در
نتیجه آن عرضه نفت دچار اخلال شده، قیمت نفت شدیدا بالا خواهد رفت، و
شرایط اقتصادی جهان بسیار بد تر خواهند شد. در آن صورت مردم اروپا و
آمریکا اسرائیل را سر زنش خواهند کرد، که عواقب آن بسیار جدی خواهند بود.

و نهایتا: ما می‌دانیم که زمانی‌ که شما برای انجام ماموریت می‌روید،
ریسک‌های شخصی‌ بسیاری را قبول می‌کنید. در عین حال شما باید این نکته را
که ممکن است دست کم یکی‌ از شما اسیر ایران شود را مورد توجه قرار دهید،
چرا که در آن صورت شرایط سیاسی و اخلاقی‌ که اسرائیل با آن مواجه خواهد
بود بسیار شدید تر و بد تر از آنچه که در مورد گیلاد شلیت وجود داشت
خواهد بود.

به عنوان جمع بندی، ما تصمیم برای بمب باران ایران را یک قمار بسیار غلط
می‌دانیم، که برای اسرائیل ریسک‌های بزرگی‌ خواهد داشت، ولی‌ مساله اصلی‌
را حل نخواهد کرد. هم طور که قبلان گفتیم، حمله برنامه اتمی‌ ایران را
متوقف نخواهد کرد، بلکه فقط آن را تا قدری به تاخیر خواهد انداخت، ولی‌
برای این تاخیر موقت همه ما باید بهای گزافی را بپردازیم. شما، خلبانان
نیروی هوائی اسرلیل، بیشتر از هر کس دیگر قدرت واقعی‌ را دارید که از این
فاجعه جلوگیری کنید.

هیچ کس برای شما تصمیم نمی‌تواند بگیرد. ما امیدواریم – بخاطر خودتان و
ما – اگر آن لحظه تصمیم گیری آمد، تصمیم درست را بگیرید

Richard Silverstein
Website | + posts

Silverstein has published Tikun Olam since 2003, It exposes the secrets of the Israeli national security state. He lives in Seattle, but his heart is in the east. He publishes regularly at Middle East Eye, the New Arab, and Jacobin Magazine. His work has also appeared in Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Truthout and other outlets.

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Filed Under: Mideast Peace Tagged With: iran-attack, Israel Defense Forces, israeli wars

Comments

  1. dickerson3870 says

    August 9, 2012 at 11:29 PM

    RE: “Israeli peace activists have created an online petition which calls for IAF pilots to refuse to participate in war against Iran.” ~ R.S.

    FROM ussliberty.org:

    FACT: Two Israeli pilots, commencing their strafing-run [on the USS Liberty in the afternoon of June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War], reported to
    their headquarters that the USS LIBERTY was an American ship. They were
    ordered to attack nonetheless! Those two pilots, refusing to attack,
    returned to their base, were arrested, court marshaled and given harsh
    jail sentences.

    COMMENT: Research into this aspect disclosed one of the pilots was so
    badly brutalized while incarcerated, he may never be released from the
    facility he is being detained in. The fate of the other pilot is
    unknown!

    SOURCE – http://www.ussliberty.org/rocky.htm

    Reply
    • Bob Mann says

      August 10, 2012 at 2:51 AM

      What are the names of the two Israeli pilots who were arrested, court marshaled (sic), and jailed?

      This “fact” doesn’t seem a little fishy to you?

      Reply
  2. Shmuel says

    August 10, 2012 at 2:40 AM

    Sorry, but this is about as reliable as debka. There’s no way that a pilot disappeared 45 years ago and that this has not leaked out in Israel. Even if “in those days” there were secret incarcerations, no way a pilot, and no way today still no scandal.

    Reply
    • Richard Silverstein says

      August 11, 2012 at 12:14 AM

      I agree. People believe what they want to believe whether credible or not.

      Reply
  3. Nimrod says

    August 10, 2012 at 1:48 PM

    in the “released a list of 100 Israeli air force officers” the birth dates, some of the birth dates does not match the military rank of the “officers”.

    seems like a random list of Israelies and their facebook photos.
    similar to the “list of Israelies who are responsible to the Marmara”.

    Reply

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