About 350 people packed a Northrop Frye classroom Tuesday to hear from Matan Kaminer, an Israeli youth who is refusing the mandatory draft into military service presently required in Israel.

Before he spoke, visual artist b.h. Yael delivered a powerful photo display from her recent visit to the middle East. She began with video footage of protesters of the occupation, saying, “If you only rely on (mainstream) news for pictures of what is happening, you don’t have a true picture of what is happening over there…. We do not hear enough of moderate voices.”

In contrast to the usual parade of images of violence or carnage in the occupied territories, Yael showed images of the anti-occupation protest, and of affluent, established Israeli settlements. Though in the minority, Yael says the protest to the Israeli occupation is growing.

Kaminer, a 19-year-old Israeli student, spoke of the obstacles and immense social pressures facing “refuseniks,” a term referring to those who either refuse the mandatory draft, or if already in the army, selectively refuse to serve on missions in the occupied territories. The military refusal movement, Kaminer explained, began mainly amongst army reservists during the Lebanon War. Kaminer said he comes from a family of political activists, noting that his father was one of those original refuseniks.

“Males are required to serve in the army, and many of those in key positions (in government) have served as officers. The military mindset is still much a part of Israeli thinking.” When officers began joining the refusenik movement, Kaminer said, “it really shook the heart of the military establishment.”

As for a solution to the violence, Kaminer was less certain, saying that even if Israeli forces withdrew from the territories, there would still be economic disparity between the First World Israelis and the Palestinians, who belong to the developing world. Kaminer personally advocates a two state-two nation stance, that is, separate self-governing Israeli and Palestinian states, and a return to pre-1967 borders.

The audience also seemed to reflect a range of opinion, with stronger applause for some of Kaminer’s statements than for others.