Leftist students (file)
Leftist students (file)Flash 90

Another group of leftists has issued an open letter refusing to serve in the IDF - this time, 53 graduates of Jerusalem's Arts and Science Academy.

The students have titled the letter "dare to refuse" and write, "The Israeli army is responsible for systematic suppression mechanisms and domestic abuse used against Palestinians in the occupied territories, and is also a partner in the oppression and dispossession against non-Jewish citizens of Israel."

The letter also accuses the IDF of being a "contractor in active segregation based on the concept of ethnic superiority of the Jews over Palestinians - a regime that oppresses and tramples basic human rights, which applies a different legal system to the different populations in the West Bank [Judea-Samaria - ed.], and uses a system of discrimination based on ethnic lines from 1948."

The 53 students also claim that their move - instead of cowardly - is courageous. 

"Refusal to serve is a privilege that requires a tough stance against society, the community and the family, and sometimes even sitting in a military prison," it boasts. "When we were teenagers some of us did not have the knowledge, courage or support network necessary to enable such a move, and we want you to know that there are also voices like ours out there." 

The first "war of letters" began in March, when 50 leftist teens sent a letter to the Prime Minister expressing objections to the mandatory draft for ideological reasons.

Zionist teens - over 200 of them - drafted a counter-letter in response, which quickly went viral

Then, in September, 43 left-wing reservists sent a letter to Netanyahu decrying the "crimes" of the IDF against Palestinians.

Shortly afterwards, some 200 past and present soldiers in the unit signed a counter-letter debunking the claims and expressing anger at what they said was a politically-motivated smear against the army.