The international community may be receptive to the disengagement plan and the expulsion of Jews, but 10,000 of the Israeli soldiers who are supposed to do the uprooting say they're not.
The "Homat Magen" (Defensive Shield) Task Force has overseen the collection of the signatures of 10,000 IDF soldiers who say they will not participate in the uprooting, even if ordered to do so. The signatures, of soldiers from both the standing army and the reserves, were gathered by several grassroots organizations over the past several weeks.
Noam Livnat of Elon Moreh, younger brother of Education Minister Limor Livnat, is the driving force behind the campaign, which has become known as the "refusal" drive. He planned to submit the signatures to Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz today, but Mofaz refused to meet with him. Livnat therefore deposited the lists with a trustee, Law Professor and TV-and-radio show host Chaim Misgav, and they will be available for public viewing.
Asked if he is sure that all 10,000 of the signatories will actually make good on their word if it comes down to it, Livnat said today, "No, I think there won't be 10,000 - there will be 50,000. Because for every soldier who signed, there were another five who implied that though they didn't want to sign, they could be counted on not to take part in the evacuation. They'll sit and drink coffee, they'll play backgammon, but they won't have a hand in dragging away their brothers and sisters so that the Land of Israel can be given over to the enemy."
