TEL AVIV, Sept 17: More than 200 young Israelis called up for the national service said in a petition released on Tuesday that they would refuse to serve in an “army of occupation”.

“We refuse to be soldiers in an army of occupation,” the 213 young Jewish conscientious objectors said in the petition.

The petition, signed by “secondary school students” was addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer.

The 213 petitioners accuse Israel of committing war crimes and violating human rights in the Palestinian territories.

“Among us there are some who refuse to wear the uniform, others refuse to serve beyond the Green Line (separating Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip) and others will find different ways of refusing to serve the occupation,” said the text.—AFP