More Israeli Military Refuse Duty

Thirteen members of a top commando unit who said they would not serve in the Palestinian areas will be dismissed from the army unless they change their mind, the Israeli army chief said Monday.

The refusal by the elite troops from the prestigious "Sayeret Matkal" unit is part of a growing trend among Israeli soldiers opposed to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The 13 reservists sent a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday declaring they could not "continue to stand silent" regarding Israeli military activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that they say deprive "millions of Palestinians of human rights."

It's another blow to the prestige of the military, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. A few months ago, 27 air force pilots refused to carry out targeted killings. With the military one of Israel's most-prized institutions, the objectors are getting little sympathy among the Israeli public.

Also Monday, some 3,000 Jews, Christians and Moslems marched to the holy places in Jerusalem's Old City to pray for peace in the Holy Land.

"We're all working together, striving together," said Jerry Olson from Texas. "You know the answer is love...centered on God, God is our Father. He's the Father of all of us."

Participants included clerics, government officials and just normal people from around the world. They decided that Christmas and Hanukkah was an appropriate time for the message of peace.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon indicated to Egypt's foreign minister Monday that Israel would respond favorably to a cease-fire offer from Palestinian militants, an Israeli official said.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher met with Sharon and other senior Israeli officials during his first trip to Israel in more than two years. He was in Israel in an effort to restart talks on the stalled U.S.-backed "road map" plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Egypt, which has often played a mediator's role between Israel and the Palestinians, has been pressuring Palestinian militants to halt attacks on Israel.

Maher also wants to revive negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

"It is time to work to create a better atmosphere, to build confidence through negotiations," he said. "We believe that this should be done as soon as possible."

Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon told Army Radio Monday that those soldiers who signed the protest letter could be thrown out of the army.

"Each one will be called in to talk to his commander, the severity will be explained to him and he will be given the chance to back down," Yaalon said. "If he doesn't, he will be thrown out of army reserve duty."

"I take the decision according to my conscience," said a soldier identified only as "Sergeant Avner."

Even Yaalon, however, has criticized the government's tough policies toward the Palestinians, saying in October that they could lead to desperation and a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza.

Several senior officials, including former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu, have served in the elite unit's ranks.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ruth Yaron said Monday that, although Israel is a democratic country, the reservists should not use the prestigious unit as a platform to express their views.

One of the signatories, who would only give his name as "Moshe," told Israel Radio Monday that he felt an operation he participated in to track down Palestinian militants in the West Bank served no purpose.

"I saw that nothing changed as a result of the operation and we look much worse than we did a year or two ago," Moshe said. "What should I do, just sit with my arms crossed? ... Or say, `Gentlemen, I'm not going back there."'

Israeli lawmaker Yossi Sarid, of the dovish Meretz Party, said that the refusal to serve was becoming a trend because soldiers are tired of implementing inhumane orders from Sharon's government.

The soldiers' action proves that "occupation is destroying the army as well," Sarid wrote in the Maariv newspaper.

Last week, the army convicted five new recruits on charges that they refused to serve in the military for political reasons. The five, who are to be sentenced Tuesday, could each receive as much as three years in jail.