Two US soldiers want to become conscientious objectors because of the Gaza war | News about the Israel-Palestine conflict

Months after US pilot Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire in protest against the war, two more people protested.

Two active members of the US Air Force want to leave the military and become conscientious objectors because Washington supports the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

Larry Hebert and Juan Bettancourt say they no longer want to serve in the U.S. military because of the U.S. military’s role in the war that killed more than 37,400 Palestinians, mostly children and women.

They have officially applied to become conscientious objectors as part of an existing military procedure. These are people who refuse to perform military service for ethical or moral reasons.

Hebert, a senior active-duty airman in the U.S. Air Force, told Al Jazeera that the United States has a long history of conscientious objectors, including those protesting the wars in Vietnam and Iraq.

He wants to emphasize that other active US soldiers also have the opportunity to refuse to go to war for reasons of conscience.

“I think many soldiers don’t know exactly what this is and what rights they have,” he said.

While on vacation in April, Hebert protested outside the White House, calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US arms sales to Israel.

USAF Senior Airman Larry Hebert, inspired by Aaron Bushnell, is in his second week of Gaza fasting. This week he will stand outside the Capitol, speak to many people and distribute the attached flyer. pic.twitter.com/3JmNavKnnJ

— Veterans for Peace (@VFPNational) 8 April 2024

Hebert had previously told US broadcaster NBC News that the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab in February was a turning point.

The Rajab family’s car was fired upon by Israeli tanks and she made a phone call pleading for rescue as she was trapped in the car with her dead relatives.

“She looks almost exactly like my daughter, and that was something that was hard for me to grasp: All of these children have hopes and dreams and are living what many of us are living and wanting, and it is completely unjustified to support what is happening,” Hebert told NBC News, adding that he worked on a U.S. operation to facilitate arms sales to Israel.

Pilot Juan Bettancourt also said he could not support the US role after seeing the news from Gaza.

“I see thousands of innocent civilians being slaughtered while the whole world watches through their smartphones,” Bettancourt told NBC, which reported that the Air Force has processed 36 conscientious objection applications since the beginning of 2021 and approved 29 of them.

Through their public protest, the two hope to influence the US stance regarding its support for Israel.

They were also influenced by Aaron Bushnell, the US pilot who set himself on fire in February in protest against the Gaza war.

The United States has supplied the Israeli military with thousands of large bombs and other munitions and equipment, as well as intelligence support, since the beginning of the Gaza war.

These weapons, including 907-kilogram bombs, have been used repeatedly in large-scale attacks that have killed scores of civilians, including attacks on United Nations schools that now serve as shelters for displaced Palestinians.

But earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement in which he sharply criticized the United States for “withholding weapons and ammunition” from Israel in recent months.