Nottuln, 9.12.2002

Solidarity for 

Jonathan Ben-Artzi, KDV Israel

Dear Jonathan, 

once more we send greetings to you and your family from Germany.

We have got indignant, that you were imprisoned for the sixth time for the same doing: your conscientious objection to serve in the army.

Your decision encouraged ourselves in our faith and hope on peace as well as you will be by our letter. You remember: we are a small local peace-group in North-West of Germany. And we want to support the increasing and widespread unwillingness among the young people in your country to serve in the army and to do the occupation work.

Your doing seems for us a very important contribution to a fundamental transformation of the high militarisized Israel society. We in our FRG fight and work too against the temptation of resolving conflicts by violance and military troops. We believe that there are not any good reason to kill, not in the past and not in the presence. And not even in fulfilling of any law. The law has to serve man - and not the man the law. To say NO to killing is the basic condition for life.

Your family can be proud of your resistance. We hope, they can understand and support you.

Now we exspect a successful intervention by Amnesty International in your case.

Perhaps you will get a chance on the army´s "Incompatibility Commission."

We are interested on your possibilities to live and work after your release. May be there difficulties for your education? Are there discrimination acts on your way on?

For today we wish you strength and peace to fulfill your "mission" and to persevere.

We are looking forward to your release and last but not least to an end of the occupation in Palestine.

Shalom

Franz Roger Reinhard

in the name of  Friedensinitiative Nottuln