Many Americans are unaware of the ways in which militarism in Israeli society drives the continued occupation of Palestine and contributes to international conflict. Israel is one of the world’s top arms exporters, including to countries under U.N. arms embargo for human rights abuses.

Within Israel, universal conscription suppresses dissent by encouraging Israelis to accept the military as central to their national identity, and the military is also promoted as a means of social mobility.

Khary Bekka is a native New Yorker from Red Hook, Brooklyn. He works for AFSC’s Healing Justice Program in New York City, which works with people affected by the criminal justice system. In 1993, Khary was sentenced to 25 years to life. He returned home in January 2019. He is an activist, storyteller, Quaker, and an advocate for restorative justice.

Sophia: What does being a Quaker mean to you?