the Israeli military court in Haifa city sentenced Arabi Salalha, from the Druze village of Beit Junn located in Galilee on Saturday for 75 days imprisonment for refusing to serve in the Israeli army.
Unlike the other Arabs living in Israeli, the Druze Arabs must serve in the Israeli army. Sources in Beit Junn village stated that Salalha was arrested by the Israeli army police last Thursday. He was supposed to start his military service one year ago.
His father said that’ its one hundred times better to be in Jail rather than serving for three years in a military occupied land.’
He added that ‘forcing our son to go to the Israeli army is not only helping the racist policies of Israel but also deprive his from his basic right as a member of a minority’.
Its been noticed lately that the number of Druze and Sharkas men living in Israel who are refusing the Israeli military service are increasing.
In October 2006 the Israeli police killed 13 Arabs living in Israeli when a rally was organized by Arab organizations in Israeli to protest the Israeli attacks on the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Translated by Ghassan Bannoura – IMEMC.org
