From army officer to conscientious objector

A leading commander in the Israeli army has defended his decision to refuse to serve in the occupied territories.

In October this year, Major Rami Kaplan, with seven other soldiers, appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court asking to be granted the status of conscientious objectors.

Major Kaplan is the highest ranking officer of the group who are all refusing to serve in Gaza and the West Bank.

They claim that Israel's presence in the occupied territories is not legal and therefore their refusal to serve is within the law.

Click here to watch the full interview

Major Kaplan believes that in the last two years the occupation has increasingly been used to protect the settlements and persecute the Palestinians.

We are not defending Israel there - exactly the opposite

Rami Kaplan

He told BBC HARDtalk: "I'm not willing as an individual to be part of a thing like this which involves humiliating and oppressing other people."

And he believes that this does not work in the best interests of Israel.

He said: "We are not defending Israel there - exactly the opposite. We are defending the settlements in my opinion.

"I think being in the territories as a soldier is not defending my family in Tel Aviv."

The role of the army

Occupation is now part of Palestinian daily life

Major Kaplan served in the Israeli army for six years. After three years of obligatory military service he chose to extend his time in the army and rose to the rank of tank company commander.

It was while working in the West Bank 18 months ago that his views began to change.

Israel claims that the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is necessary for security purposes.

While serving there, regular duties for Major Kaplan included imposing the curfew and cutting down Palestinian orchards to prevent people sneaking through border fences.

Being a soldier, I'm a political tool of the army and of the state

Rami Kaplan

But he began to feel that the decision to cut down the orchards, which seriously affected the ability of Palestinian families to earn a livelihood, only served to increase their hatred of the Israelis.

It made him question the role of the army in the occupied territories.

He said: "Being a soldier, I'm a political tool of the army and of the state. The army is fulfilling political aims of the state.

"I'm not willing to be a political tool especially when it goes into places that are against my basic values, and against my Jewish and Zionist values."

Patriotism

Critics have argued that allowing soldiers to refuse duties they find unacceptable is no way for an army to operate.

But Major Kaplan insists he is not refusing to protect his country, and he believes that rather than being shunned by society many people understand the objections.

He said: "I think that most people, even if they don't agree with us, understand that we are not traitors, but at least in our way trying to be patriots and to do the right thing for the country."

This interview can be watched in full on Wednesday 6 November on BBC World and BBC News 24 at the following times:

BBC News 24 (times shown in BST) 0430, repeated 2230

BBC World (times shown in GMT) 0330, repeated 1130, 1530, 1830, 2330