Morally Puzzled Individuals in a Morally Puzzled Community: Resisting Israeli Soldiers during War in Lebanon and the Intifada

Abstract

The particularity of the phenomenon of selective conscientious objection to given war objectives or conduct in the war requires an inquiry beyond individual moral character. This paper follows Walzer's 1970 suggestion that objection on moral ground is not solely the product of an individual's moral thinking but rather a function of the character of the community as well as the relations between them. The paper focuses on the experience of 48 selective conscientious objectors throughout the first four years of the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories. Their experience is compared with that of the selective refusers during the war in Lebanon. Special attention is given to the moral atmosphere in which these actions have been taken and the contextual factors associated with their decision to refuse.