Two US Air Force soldiers announced on Saturday that they could no longer ignore America's policy towards Gaza, and demanded that they exercise their right to "conscientious objection." In statements to NBC News, American pilots Larry Hebert and Juan Betancourt criticized Washington's support for Israel.
Hebert said that the story of the killing of the Palestinian girl Hind Rajab (6 years old), who was trapped in a vehicle targeted by Israel in Gaza, and begged not to die, was a turning point for him, saying that Hind resembles his daughter, and that support for what is happening in Gaza should not be provided. He pointed out that he worked as part of a US Air Force operation to supply weapons to Israel.
In turn, Betancourt said that he could not bear the images he saw, that “the world is watching the killing of thousands of innocent civilians from its smartphones,” and that he could not bear “continuing to serve the army of a state that violates international law.”
Betancourt also explained that the turning point for him was when his colleague, Aaron Bushnell, set himself on fire, refusing "to be complicit in the genocide in Gaza."
According to NBC News, the two American military personnel described the Israeli attacks on Gaza as “genocide,” and stressed that they could no longer ignore American support for Israel. Hebert and Betancourt demanded that they exercise their right to "conscientious objection."
The Pentagon supervises the evaluation of requests for the right to "conscientious objection" in the military. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the right to “conscientious objection” to military service is based on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the jurisprudence of the Human Rights Committee, and is considered a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
It reflects broader concerns over international conflicts and human rights.
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