Like Tal Mitnick, I refused to serve Israel as a soldier. It’s important to understand why | Etan Nechin

Military service defines who you are in Israeli society but dissent has a long tradition, despite the many obstacles

Last week, 18-year-old Tal Mitnick was jailed for 30 days for refusing Israel Defense Forces enlistment, becoming the first conscientious objector imprisoned since the Israel-Hamas war began. I refuse to believe that more violence will bring security. I refuse to take part in a war of revenge," Mitnick wrote in a statement.

Military conscription is a unifying cornerstone in Israeli society. It is hard to completely trust the IDF figures due to a lack of transparency, but its official numbers show that 69% of men and 56% of women are conscripted for service at 18. This makes the military uniform an emblem of collective national identity, perhaps even more important than the flag, epitomised by the Israeli maxim: A nation building an army is a nation building itself."