My name is Yehezkel Laing (Bin-Nun). I am 34 years old and work in marketing for a hi-tech company in Jerusalem. I never thought I would be writing a letter like this, a letter from jail. Most North American Jews are considered supporters of Israel if they have visited here once. I moved to Israel 12 years ago, served in the army in a combat unit, and have served for the past 10 years in the army reserve.



I volunteer weekly with Ezer Mitzion, driving sick people from their homes to the hospital; I take a group from my synagogue every Shabbat to entertain at a local old age home, and spend one Shabbat a month at an absorption center, welcoming new olim. I've never been arrested for anything, and my only desire ever has been to support the State of Israel and its people in any way I could.



I never dreamed that the government of Israel would take away my basic rights and label me a danger to society, especially for causing a traffic jam. In 2003 the police shut down Israel's only right-wing radio station. The pretext was that it was a "pirate station", which was a nice way to say the authorities refused to grant them a license. In 2004 the Sharon government began to push for the ethnic cleansing of all Jews from the Gaza Strip.



Sharon likes to claim that as the duly elected leader of the State of Israel he has the "mandate" to do this. What he forgets to say is that he was elected on a platform opposed to expulsion. He has refused to hold a national referendum on the plan, and he has lost the only vote conducted on it, in his own Likud party. With their freedom of speech stolen, and democracy abandoned, many Israelis have turned to their only remaining means of expression, non-violent civil disobedience.



Last week thousands of young Israelis, fed up with the violation of their rights, took to the streets. Like Martin Luther King and Gandhi they blocked traffic and demanded equality under the law. For this they paid a heavy price. Hundreds were arrested, and the judiciary is threatening long prison terms.



At a time when Israel is freeing hundreds of Arab terrorists, it is unbelievable that it should be placing hundreds of Jews in jail for traffic violations. Road blocking as a form of protest is common in Israel. University students all over the country have blocked roads to protest student fee hikes; taxi and truck drivers have done the same, as have workers' unions. None of these people spent one minute in jail for their actions. It is unconscionable that there should be one law for left wing secular university students and one for right wing religious protesters. Discrimination in all its forms is despicable.



There should be one law for everyone, and everyone should be equal under it.



To protest this terrible injustice, I urge all Jews to call their Israeli embassy and demand the immediate release of all Jewish political prisoners. If this simple demand is not met, I urge you to cancel your donations to all Israeli government institutions, such as the JNF, Magen David Adom, UJA, and CJA.



I also urge you to sell your Israel bonds. Immediately redirect your funds to private Israeli charities, such as ZAKA and the One Israel Fund, which perform the same functions, and do NOT discriminate against Jews.