Months after US aviator Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire to protest the war, two others are protesting.
Two active members of the United States Air Force wish to abandon military service and become conscientious objectors to Washington’s support for the Israeli military in Gaza.
Larry Hebert and Juan Bettancourt say they no longer wish to serve in the US military because of their role in the war, which has killed more than 37,400 Palestinians, most of them children and women.
They officially requested, through an existing procedure in the armed forces, to become conscientious objectors, people who refuse to participate in military service for ethical or moral reasons.
Hebert, a senior airman on active duty in the US Air Force, told Al Jazeera that there is a long history of conscientious objectors by the US, including in protest against the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.
He said he hopes to highlight that becoming a conscientious objector is an option for other active-duty U.S. soldiers.
“I think a lot of military personnel don’t really know what it is and what their rights are,” he said.
While on leave from service in April, Hebert protested in front of the White House, calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US arms shipments to Israel.
Senior USAF Airman Larry Hebert, inspired by Aaron Bushnell, is in his second week of Fasting for Gaza. This week he will be outside the Capitol, talking to many people and distributing the attached leaflet. pic.twitter.com/3JmNavKnnJ
– Veterans for Peace (@VFPNational) April 8, 2024
Hebert previously told US broadcaster NBC News that the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab in February was a turning point.
Rajab’s family car was targeted by Israeli tanks and she begged for rescue over the phone while trapped inside the car with her dead relatives.
“She looks almost like my daughter, and that was something that was extremely difficult to understand, is that all these kids who have aspirations and dreams and lives that so many of us live and want, and it’s completely unjustified to support what’s going on,” Hebert told NBC News, adding that he worked on a U.S. operation to provide arms sales to Israel.
Airman Juan Bettancourt also said he could not support the US role after watching the news from Gaza.
“I see the massacre of thousands of innocent civilians as the world watches on their smartphones,” Bettancourt told NBC, which reported that the Air Force has acted on 36 requests from conscientious objectors since the beginning of 2021, 29 of which have been granted.
By objecting publicly, the pair hope to influence the US stance on supporting Israel.
They were also influenced by Aaron Bushnell, the American aviator who self-immolated in February to protest the war in Gaza.
The US has provided thousands of large bombs, along with other ammunition and equipment, as well as intelligence support, to the Israeli military since the start of the war in Gaza.
These weapons, including 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs, have been repeatedly used in large-scale attacks that have killed many civilians, including in attacks on United Nations-run schools that are now used as shelters for displaced Palestinians.
But earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement sharply criticizing the US for “withholding arms and ammunition from Israel” in recent months.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
