A Call to Mutiny

According to a September 9, 2004 USA Today report, a group of Israeli hardliners has called on Israel's security forces to sabotage the orders to evacuate Jewish settlements of Gaza lest such an order be issued.

The petition published Thursday in the Besheva weekly contained some of the harshest language yet against Sharon's plan.

It called the pullout a "crime against humanity" and urged security forces to disobey orders to evacuate settlements.

"We call public officials who are being asked to lay the groundwork for the ethnic cleansing of Jews from their homeland, and on all of the officers, troops and policemen, to listen to the voice of their conscience and not take part in acts that will sully them," it said.

The petition was signed by 185 people, including former lawmakers, academics military officers and retired officials. The newspaper is oriented toward a religious nationalist audience, including Israel's 240,000 settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, a Besheva spokesman said.

While the signatories have a right to express their opinions, this petition must be recognized for what it is,- an attempt to disrupt the functioning of the IDF and other security forces. If any of the signatories are still part of the military, I believe they ought to be stripped of their rank and their military or security service careers need to be brought to a halt.