Nearing the end of basic training, he refused to join his infantry unit when it was posted to the occupied territories to guard one of the controversial Jewish settlements. It was a matter of principle for him and I support him entirely in the decision he had made. A spokeswoman for the Israeli Defence Force said she could not comment on the case yesterday. But Amnesty International has taken it on and will press the Israeli military authorities for an explanation. In Israel, however, there has been deafening silence.
National service is deeply ingrained and supported right across the social and political spectrum.
Noam Kuzar's actions are not just unusual, but deeply offensive to many Israelis. His old school and his employer, Hashomer Hatza'ir, a Zionist youth labour movement for which he worked after finishing high school, have both refused to support his stand. But the letters and emails are flooding in from abroad and also from Palestinians, through the internet campaign launched by his parents. Dr Kujar said about 150 people were jailed for refusing to serve in the army during the deeply unpopular Lebanon campaign but they were mainly reservists, who had already spent time in uniform. In his own case, he escaped punishment.