18-year-old Israeli conscientious objector Sofia Orr arrived at the army’s recruitment center near Tel Aviv and declared her refusal to enlist in mandatory military service in protest of Israel’s war on Gaza and long-standing occupation. The second Israeli teenager to publicly refuse the draft for political reasons since October 7 — following Tal Mitnick who did so in December — Orr was sentenced to an initial 20 days in Neve Tzedek military prison, which will likely be extended if she continues to refuse to enlist.

Nonetheless, Orr was one of 230 Israeli teens who signed an open letter in early September, prior to the war, announcing their intention to refuse their draft orders as part of a wider protest against efforts by Israel’s far-right government to restrict the power of the judiciary. Connecting the judicial overhaul to Israel’s long-standing military rule over Palestinians, the high schoolers — who organized under the banner of “Youth Against Dictatorship” — declared that they would not join the army “until democracy is secured for all who live within the jurisdiction of the Israeli government.”

With the vast majority of the Israeli public fully supportive of the army’s assault on Gaza in the wake of October 7, and with left-wing activists facing heavy-handed police repression and doxxing for taking a stand against the war, the stakes for conscientious objectors have been raised even higher.

“It’s important for me to do this even if I don’t convince anyone. It’s the right thing to do. But I don’t know if I would have done this publicly if I didn’t have some hope that people could hear and listen and that there was still room for conversation. It’s very important to reach Israeli society, especially the young people who stand where I stand, and show them why I chose what I chose.”

Bravo, Sofia. Following your heart its a brave thing to do in the sick and twisted Israeli society. We will keep an eye out for you.