60 members of the European Parliament, from different political groups, reaffirmed their solidarity with the refuseniks in an announcement titled: "All Our Respect for the Israeli Refuseniks".

The announcement was published, in Hebrew and on a whole page, in the political weekend supplement of Yedioth Ahcaronot, the most selling newspaper in Israel.

The European Parliament members described the refusniks as courageous, and explained that as one of the "moral voices of Israel and the world, they show the way to peace".

Reminding the Israeli public of two European Parliament resolutions concerning the Israeli refusniks, the announcement said: "In its resolution of 10 April 2002 on the 'situation in the Middle East', the European Parliament expressed its full support for those working for peace, 'including the Israeli reservists refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories'. In its resolution of 23 October 2003 'on peace and dignity in the Middle East', the European Parliament expressed again 'its solidarity with the group of Israeli Air Force pilots who declared they would refuse to fly missions that could endanger civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, on the basis that airstrikes are immoral and illegal on account of the fact that they kill innocent civilians'".

We bring you the full text of the ad published in Yediot Aharonot:

ALL  OUR  RESPECT  FOR  THE  ISRAELI  "Refuseniks"

Thus far, hundreds of reserve combat officers and soldiers of the Israeli Defence Forces have pledged to refuse to serve for moral reasons. In their letter "Courage to refuse", they state: "We, who sensed how the commands issued to us in the Occupied Territories destroy all values on which we were raised (...), we shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people (...), the missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this purpose and we shall take no part in them".

In its resolution of 10 April 2002 on the "situation in the Middle East", the European Parliament expressed its full support for those working for peace, "including the Israeli reservists refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories". In its resolution of 23 October 2003 "on peace and dignity in the Middle East", the European Parliament expressed again "its solidarity with the group of Israeli Air Force pilots who declared they would refuse to fly missions that could endanger civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, on the basis that airstrikes are immoral and illegal on account of the fact that they kill innocent civilians".

We, as Members of the European Parliament from different political groups, reaffirm our solidarity and stand with all the the courageous Israeli "refuseniks": they are among the moral voices of Israel and the world, they show the way to peace. We urge Israeli authorities to refrain from punishing them and, especially, to release the five conscientous objectors recently sentenced to jail and to enable them, as well as other young men and women, to serve the Israeli society in an alternative civil service.

1) Mr Francis WURTZ, Chairman GUE/NGL Group, France

2) Mrs Monica FRASSONI, Co-Chairwoman GREENS/ALE Group, Belgium

3) Mr. Daniel COHN-BENDIT, Co-Chairman GREENS/ALE Group, France

4) Mr Graham WATSON, Chairman ELDR Group, UK     

5) Mrs Luisa MORGANTINI, EP-PLC Chairwoman, GUE/NGL, Italy

6) Mr Emilio MENENDEZ DEL VALLE, PSE Group, former rapporteur on Middle East, Spain

7) Mr Jannis SAKELLARIOU, PSE Group,Germany

8) Mrs Margot KESSLER, PSE, Germany

9) Mrs Françoise DUTHU, GREENS/ALE, France

10) Mr Nikolaos CHOUNTIS, GUE/NGL, Greece

11) Baroness Sarah LUDFORD, ELDR, UK

12) Mr Alain KRIVINE, GUE/NGL, France

13) Mrs Roseline VACHETTA, GUE/NGL, France

14) Mrs Patricia McKENNA, GREENS/ALE, Ireland

15) Mr Konstantinos ALYSSANDRAKIS, GUE/NGL, Greece

16) Mr J.M. MENDILUCE PEREIRO, PSE, Spain

17) Mr Paul LANNOYE, GREENS/ALE, Belgium

18) Mr Alain LIPIETZ, GREENS/ALE, France

19) Mrs Arlette LAGUILLER, GUE/NGL,     France

20) Mrs Chantal CAUQUIL, GUE/NGL, France

21) Mrs Armonie BORDES, GUE/NGL, France

22) Mr Jo LEINEN, PSE, Germany

23) Mr Pierre JONCKHEER, GREENS/ALE, Belgium

24) Mr Michael CASHMAN, PSE, UK

25) Mr Van LANCKER, PSE, Belgium

26) Mrs Veronique De KEYSER, PSE, Belgium

27) Mr Glyn FORD, PSE, UK

28) Mr Miguel Angel MARTINEZ, PSE, Spain

29) Mr Didier ROD, GREENS/ALE, France

30) Mrs Francisca SAUQUILLO, PSE, Spain

31) Mr Armando COSSUTTA, GUE/NGL, Italy

32) Mrs Yasmina BOUDJENAH, GUE/NGL, France

33) Mrs Pernille FRAHM, GUE/NGL, Denmark

34) Mr Jonas SJOSTEDT, GUE/NGL, Sweden

35) Mrs Alima BOUMEDIENE-THIERRY, GREENS/ALE, France

36) Mrs Caroline LUCAS, GREENS/ALE, Royaume-Uni

37) Mrs Jean LAMBERT, GREENS/ALE, Royaume-Uni

38) Mrs Sylviane AINARDI, GUE/NGL, France

39) Mr Jan DHAENE, PSE, Belgium

40) Mr Herman SCHMID, GUE/NGL, Sweden

41) Mrs Sylvia-Yvonne KAUFMANN, GUE/NGL, Germany

42) Mrs Ulma AALTONE, GREENS/ALE, Finland

43) Mr Fausto BERTINOTTI, GUE/NGL, Italy

44) Mr Giuseppe DI LELLO, GUE/NGL, Italy

45) Mr Luigi VINCI, GUE/NGL, Italy

46) Mr Helmuth MARKOV, GUE/NGL, Germany

47) Mr Giorgios KATIFORIS, PSE,Greece

48) Mrs Anne VAN LANCKER, PSE, Belgium

49) Mr André BRIE, GUE/NGL, Germany

50) Mr Per GAHRTON, GREENS/ALE, Sweden

51) Mrs Anna TERRON i CUSI, PSE, Spain

52) Mr Chris DAVIES, ELDR, UK

53) Mr Pedro MARSET CAMPOS, GUE/NGL, Spain

54) Mr Ole ANDREASEN, ELDR, Denmark

55) Mr Bruno TRENTIN, PSE, Italy

56) Mr Enric MORERA I CATALA, GREENS/ALE, Spain

57) Mrs Ilda FIGUEIREDO, GUE/NGL, Portugal

58) Mr Salvador JOVE, GUE/NGL, Spain

59) Mrs Pasqualina NAPOLETANO, PSE, Italy

60) Mrs Eleni MAVROU, GUE/NGL, Cyprus

* PSE = Group of the Party of the European Socialists

* ELDR = Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party

* GUE/NGL = Confederal Group of the European  United Left / Nordic Green Left

* GREENS/ALE = Group of the Greens / European Free Alliance