Andrey Pshenichnikov, who was arrested by Israel for residing in Bethlehem, says it is impossible to act within a moral framework while under occupation.
By Nir Hasson | Jun.18, 2012
The former Israel Defense Forces soldier who soon after
his discharge from the army moved to a refugee camp near Bethlehem in
solidarity with the Palestinian cause, said in response to a Haaretz report on his decision that he supports Palestinian armed residence in every form.
"I support the armed Palestinian resistance and understand terror.
Someone has told me that my views are considered extreme, but I don't
care," said Andrey Pshenichnikov, the former soldier.
Pshenichnikov, 24, moved to Israel from the Soviet Union at the age of
11. After concluding the mandatory 36-month-service in the IDF, he
signed up for an extra 18 months as a career soldier.
Pshenichnikov moved recently to the city of Bethlehem and lived in the
Deheishe refugee camp, until he was arrested by Palestinian security
forces at the request of Israel.
Pshenichnikov was detained for eight days, and upon his release he was
charged with entering Palestinian territory, which is considered a
closed military zone.
Following his release, Pshenichnikov had stated that he wishes to
surrender his Israeli citizenship, and intends to do so in the next
days. Since his story was published, Pshenichnikov said he received much
support.
Politically speaking, Pshenichnikov defines his view as close to those
of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Pshenichnikov
refused to see how the armed resistance and the Palestinian terrorism as
a problem: "In Israel's terms, I support Palestinian terrorism," he
said.
"What Israel defines as terror is merely a tool," Pshenichnikov told
Haaretz,. "In the state the Palestinians are in, they will use the same
tools as any other people in the same position. That's why I support the
Palestinian resistance, regardless of its form. No-one has the right to
criticize the Palestinian struggle since we are speaking of occupied
people."
When asked if he distinguishes between violent attacks carried out
against soldiers, settlers, or Israeli citizens residing within the 1967
lines, Pshenichnikov responded: "[In Israel] every citizen is a soldier
at some point. As far as the Palestinians are concerned, there is no
difference between the settlers of 1967 and the settlers of 1948."
"We are not talking about a war between two countries with an organized
army and laws of war. In a state of occupation it's impossible to act
within this moral framework. An occupier has no moral framework," he
said.
Pshenichnikov does not see Zionism as a fundamentally bad, he still
views it as a colonial movement: "It is not a crime stemming from an
absolute evil, but from imperial interests," he said. "But it is a
colonial movement just as any other colonial movement, as the Western
colonial movements. It is based on the strong exploiting the weak."
Despite his political believes, Pshenichnikov does not regret coming to
Israel from the former Soviet Union. "The Zionist movement requires
people to come and replace the local population, and it gives a lot in
return, so I benefited of it," he said, adding that he does not even
regret serving in the IDF: "I was a part of the system; I didn't have
enough information or strength to find a way out, so it wasn't my fault
and I have nothing to regret."
