Because of the ongoing war in Gaza…Two US pilots demand using their right to conscientious objection
Two US Air Force soldiers declared that they could no longer ignore US policy toward the Palestinian Gaza Strip and demanded that they exercise their right to conscientious objection.
In exclusive remarks to NBC News on Saturday, US pilots Larry Hibbert and Juan Betancourt criticized the US support for Israel.
Hebert said the story of the murder of 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a vehicle targeted by Israel in Gaza and begged not to die, was a turning point for him.
He pointed out that Hind looked like his daughter, and that support shouldn’t be provided for what was happening in Gaza.
Hebert said he had worked as part of a US Air Force operation on supplying Israel with weapons.
The US Juan Betancourt said he couldn’t bear the images he saw, and that “the world is watching thousands of innocent civilians being killed from its smartphones”.
He explained that the turning point for him was when his colleague Aaron Buchenel set himself on fire, refusing to complicit in the Gaza genocide.
Betancourt stressed that he couldn’t continue to serve the army of a state that violated international law.
According to NBC News, the two US pilot described the Israeli attacks on Gaza as genocide and stressed that they could no longer ignore US support for Israel.
Hebert and Betancourt demanded that they exercise their right to conscientious objection.
The Pentagon oversees the assessment of the military’s conscientious objection requests.
