Bar-On received a reserve call-up notice, like thousands of other Israelis, several weeks ahead of the implementation of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Disengagement Plan. He could not bring himself to participate in the expulsion, which would also involve abandoning his family as they faced the most difficult period in their lives. He thus informed his commander that he would not be showing up for reserve duty.



Tuesday, Bar-On stood trial in an IDF court for having been AWOL. The court rejected his explanation of the emotional and physical difficulty of serving as the IDF carried out the eviction of hundreds of families, including his own, from their homes. He was sent to IDF Prison #4 for a period of 14 days.



His brother, Yehuda Bar-On, sent a letter to Brig.-Gen. Danny Biran, Chief Reserves Officer, sharply protesting the chain of events leading to his brother’s incarceration.



The following is the text of Yehuda Bar-On’s letter:



Shalom and blessings,

My name is Yehuda Bar-On – the oldest of a family of eight. Our family has, up to now, five combat officers – three in reserves and the other two in the standing and career army. I have served in the reserves since my discharge in 1994.



My brother Shlomi is the reserve soldier who was tried and sent to prison yesterday, like a criminal, to Prison #4 for 14 days. His crime was his refusal to serve during the period of the expulsion of Jews three months ago, last summer. His main reason for refusing was that it was inhumane for him to be drafted to reserve duty during the period that he himself, as a resident of Homesh (originally from Elon Moreh), would be expelled, together with his family, from their home.



According to his commanders, there is no connection between the fact that he was expelled from his home and the reserve duty he was obligated to serve during that exact period.



I am puzzled at the military authority that found time to deal with the justified absence from the army of a father with five children and a pregnant wife, sending him to jail for such a lengthy period.



Does the reserves branch not have more important things to deal with on a daily basis?



Does the absence of a man for the first time ever due to his expulsion from his home not deserve to perhaps be overlooked?



For your information, honored sir, my brother, the father of triplets, volunteered for active reserve duty after the birth of his children - despite the fact that he was exempt from service for a year.



Therefore, I ask that you advise me where to return my reserves card since I have decided that I no longer have any motivation to continue to serve, despite the fact that I was awarded as an outstanding soldier in my battalion and have volunteered many times over the years.



Thank you in advance for your consideration,

Yehuda Bar-On