Militarization in Israel and the use of military force by the Israeli state continued unchecked in 2005. Despite a widely heralded “disengagement” from Gaza, no respite emerged in Israel’s repression of Palestinians through direct military and other means. And yet, Israeli society shows hopeful, though limited and inconsistent, signs of receptivity towards a feminist critique of Israeli militarization. A main instance was the surprising degree of responsiveness to the New Profile “Feminist Conscience Campaign”.

Achievements in the type of grassroots advocacy work carried out by New Profile are, however, more easily measured in terms such as new projects and steady, sustained activity. The incremental change driven by our actions is diffuse and can’t be traced to New Profile work alone. Nevertheless, seven years after its foundation, New Profile broke new ground this year. A few significant developments included:

• A unique “Feminist Conscience Campaign” focused on feminist CO Idan Halili;
• An evening of reflective discussion with renowned feminist researcher Cynthia Enloe;
• Publication (in Hebrew) of: Militarism in Education, the collected proceedings of the New Profile-initiated 2001 international conference;
• An Alternative Summer Camp for Youth, a collaborative project led by young adults;
• A first independently coordinated New Profile speaking/fundraising tour in the U.S.A.

Additional highlights of New Profile work during 2005 extended the methods and ideas informing our efforts from the outset. Some of these included:

• Facilitating the persisting movement of young people refusing military conscription – both declared conscientious objectors and draft resisters of other kinds;
• First legal interventions on behalf of Druze COs, strengthening ties with their families;
• A second season of the creative “Peer Facilitation” training program for New Profile speakers;
• Strengthened ties with the Turkish anti-militarist movement through supporting CO Mehmet Tarhan;

In addition, as detailed in our Annual Activity Report for 2005, routine New Profile work continued – through our public and youth education programs, through the regularly updated website, the Refusers’ Counseling Network and the Legal Aid Project.

In 2005, New Profile continued to operate without an office, in an intentionally decentralized structure leaving decisions and responsibility to the teams coordinating various projects. The annual budget was quite modest, still basing the bulk of activity on members’ volunteer work. The New Profile Annual Report offers a list of statistics on New Profile activity over 2005, a detailed description of new developments, and a concise project-by-project survey of ongoing action. We hope you’ll visit our website to read the report in full.

We would like to extend our warm appreciation to all of those supporting us, whether financially or by spreading our ideas, enhancing our networking, or in many other ways. A significant proportion of New Profile funding is provided by a long list of caring individuals.

If you would like to support our work with a donation, please mail a check to: POB # 3454, Ramat Hasharon, Israel 47100. In the U.S., tax-exempt contributions, earmarked for New Profile, can be made online through the Refusers Solidarity Network.