Israel's Gen Z conscientious objectors are being shunned and are even going to prison for refusing to join the army

• Israel's Gen Z faces backlash and potential imprisonment for refusing to join the Israeli army.
• BI spoke to four "refuseniks" — including one who went to prison, and another awaiting sentencing.

As a child, Tal Mitnick thought it was inevitable that he would end up in the Israel Defense Forces.

It wasn't out of any particular desire to serve — it just felt inevitable.

Conscription is mandatory for most Jewish Israelis, though some exemptions are granted on humanitarian, medical, religious, and legal grounds.

It's a constant source of conversation among Mitnick's friends.

"The first question we ask when we meet each other is: 'Where are you going in the military?' From what I hear, it stays this conversation, throughout your 20s and 30s," he told Business Insider.

Conversations about national duty have surged since October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people.

And emotions are heightened on all sides, with ubiquitous footage of Israel's air campaign and ground invasion of Gaza, which the Hamas-run Ministry of Health says has killed more than 18,000 people.

For Mitnick, it was this sort of footage that ultimately made him resolve to reject IDF service of any kind.

More than that, he decided to boldly out himself as a so-called "refusenik" — a controversial position in a militaristic nation.

That position may ultimately land the 18-year-old behind bars.

Growing up in a liberal-minded household, Mitnick had considered signing up for a non-combat role, which he hoped would prevent him from, in his words, contributing to the "cycle of violence" with Palestinians.

But his perspective shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic as he spent time browsing YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter, like many other Gen-Z kids during the lockdowns.

Encountering footage of settler violence from anti-occupation organizations profoundly changed him, he said, resulting in him taking his current stance.

Mitnick recognizes that he might lose friends in the process, and is now preparing for even harsher repercussions.

He's awaiting sentencing by a military tribunal, which could result in him serving time in an army prison.

Refuse to serve, go to prison

Somebody who knows all too well what this is like is Yuval Dag, who spent 64 days in a military prison earlier this year for refusing to serve in the Israeli army.

"It's not a good time, obviously," the 21-year-old told BI of this experience. But "I managed and I pushed through," he said.

Dag's journey from growing up in a staunchly Zionist home to becoming a vocal critic of the IDF, and now the Gaza campaign, was also heavily influenced by social media.

"Instagram is my news application," he said.

Around the time he received his first draft notice, about four years ago, Dag started coming across material from international left-wing news organizations on Instagram.

He said that the exposure helped him see beyond Israeli propaganda.

"Always when somebody asks me about how I developed my ideas, social media is one of the biggest parts of this," he said.

Dag believes that social media offers Gen Z Israelis unprecedented and direct access to the realities of life in Gaza and the West Bank, facilitated by footage from Palestinian citizen journalists and on-the-ground activists.

Dag says that Gen Z Israelis now have the opportunity, if they are willing, to be exposed to alternative views, particularly those that oppose Israel's policy toward Gaza.

Feeling like an outsider

Social media has allowed Israeli conscientious objectors to go public with their refusals, rather than refusing quietly or seeking an exemption.

Sofia Orr and Iddo Elam are among those who now intend to publicly reject the draft.

And they say that being vocal online may convince other young Israelis to reconsider serving.

Orr said she is due to be conscripted in February, and will refuse.

She said her decision was made easier by her "very left-leaning" family and her tendency to avoid reading social media comments.

The 18-year-old told BI that "it wasn't ever really an option not to be vocal about it."

Nevertheless, she said outing herself as a conscientious objector is a "scary process," and she anticipates other Gen Z Israelis will label her a traitor.

Orr said she has already been made to feel like an "outsider" by other young Israelis for not wanting to enlist.

Elam, 17, said he will refuse sometime next summer. He agreed that there is a huge social cost to marking yourself out as a refusenik.

Skipping the army in a society built around military service ultimately leads to some level of ostracization, he said.

"You do feel like an outsider a lot of the time, even in a place like Tel Aviv, which has more people that don't enlist," Elam told BI. "People view you differently."

But despite facing discouragement from friends and family, who have urged him to fulfill his national duty, Elam said he remains steadfast in his desire to reject the system.

He hopes, in turn, that this will encourage others to follow suit.

For Mitnick, inspiring others to follow his example is worth potentially going to military prison for.

He said: "If there's one person that I get to not join the army for political reasons, I will always stay optimistic."