Mattan here. I’m writing to you with urgency–and with hope. The Israeli war machine is escalating. What began as a genocidal campaign in Gaza spiraled into a full-blown regional assault. As Israel expanded its assault into Iran, it became clear to us all: this government has no intention of stopping its endless wars, not just on the Palestinian people but throughout the Middle East. It’s not about hostages. It’s not about defense. It’s about annihilation–and political survival.
But there is another force at work. A growing refusal movement from within Israeli society is threatening the very foundation of this war effort. And with your support, we’ve been helping lead it. Following the ceasefire with Iran, the mainstream Israeli media is covering the “return to normalcy”. But there is nothing normal, not just about the regional assault on Iran, but about the continuation of the genocide in Gaza as well.
And as Israel continues to try to normalize a life of endless warfare and instability, we continue to escalate our tactics and efforts. We need to be ready to support new movements, spontaneous refusers, and civil resistance across the country’s streets that are already emerging as the public grows evermore tired from endless warfare.
That is why we are building a new ecosystem of refusal, but we cannot do it without your help. We’ve raised 60% of our $30,000 goal so far, and we urgently need our supporters across the world to help us close the gap so that we can effectively resist the Israeli war machine.
Over the past month, we’ve brought you inside the growing infrastructure of resistance we’ve built, together, in the heart of a militarized state.
We told you how our new initiative, Hitnagdut, is transforming spontaneous dissent into organized refusal, equipping activists with the training, support, and resources they need to grow into a sustained anti-war force.
We told you how Soldiers for Hostages, the movement of reservists publicly refusing to serve, was incubated through RSN support, and how it’s now grown into the most visible and politically disruptive refuser initiative in Israel today. Over 325 soldiers have already signed on. And that number is only rising.
And we told you about the emotional toll of refusal, how RSN is building the support structures that keep activists from burning out, breaking down, or giving up.
This isn’t just about ending this war. It’s about stopping the next one, ending the occupation and bringing freedom, equality and justice to everyone from the river to the sea. Right now, RSN is one of the only international organizations in the world positioned to stop the war machine from within. And we are being stretched to our limits. We’ve raised 60% of our $30,000 goal.
But we are facing exponential growth in need. More reservists. More youth. More calls for help. And more groups asking us to support their refusal. We have the experience. We have the infrastructure. We just need the resources.
The Israeli government is afraid. They are arresting, fining, and jailing public refusers at a level we haven’t seen in decades. But the cracks are already there, and they’re widening. Refusal is not just spreading. It’s becoming contagious.
In solidarity,
Mattan Helman
Executive Director
Refuser Solidarity Network
(Taken from an email sent to me by the Refuser Solidarity Network. Emphasis original.)