Israel jails Canadian-born for not willing to be part of oppression

Canadian-born Israeli reserve medic won't serve in West Bank, Gaza "We simply have to break the circle of violence": he says.

Dan Goldenblatt, 33, a Montreal native, declined the order to deploy to the territories Tuesday morning after returning from a funeral for a friend killed in last weekend's Palestinian suicide bombing in the Israeli port city of Haifa, in which 19 civilians died.

Officers at the Israeli Defence Forces base at Yokneam immediately tried Goldenblatt, a paratrooper battle medic, sentencing him to 28 days. "Until today, I have never refused to obey an order. I always came when called, with my army boots, hat and uniform......For reasons of conscience, I refuse to take part in acts of occupation. I refuse to give any Palestinian even the slightest additional reason to participate in terrorist acts, to hate my country. I refuse to participate in the policy of revolving and stupid revenge of the current government of Israel, which believes in power and lacks initiative or hope," Goldenblatt said.

"And I refuse to guard the poisonous and extremely costly settlements, which are the foundation of the policy of oppression and occupation. Read more .