Israel Dismisses 43 Soldiers who Refused to Serve

The Israeli military has dismissed 43 reserve soldiers from its most prestigious intelligence unit after they publicly denounced abuses committed against Palestinians, army radio said Monday.

In a letter published by Israeli media in September, the 43 reservists who belonged to the spying unit said they refused to serve in order to avoid participating in injustices carried out against the Palestinians.

The 8200 unit that they belonged to specializes in cyber defense.

The soldiers, who are made up of both men and women, said they refused to "continue serving the system which affects the rights of millions of people."

They also criticized the "political persecution" their spying activities involved.