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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/the-rush-to-preserve-the-sperm-of-slain-soldiers-exposes-the-deep-militarism-of-israeli-society/?ml_recipient=107276582960235932&ml_link=107276518408849118&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2023-12-11&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines+RSS+Automation">mondoweiss.net</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">The rush to preserve the sperm of slain soldiers exposes the deep militarism of Israeli society</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Faris Giacaman</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">December 10, 2023<br></div>
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<img src="cid:ii_lq14hhk90" alt="081023_Beersheba_ZU1-1024x736.jpg" width="427" height="307"><br><p>On Saturday night, October 7, amid Israel’s preparations for its most
violent forays into the Gaza Strip, a peculiar scene unfolded at an
Israeli hospital. Families of three fallen soldiers arrived with an
unusual request — to extract sperm from their deceased sons’ bodies.
This procedure, known as sperm utilization, had quietly gained traction
in Israel over the years. Scientific research suggests the possibility
of sperm retrieval up to 72 hours after death, allowing what is
medically referred to as Posthumous Assisted Reproduction (PAR). Within
the Israeli context, unlike anywhere else, PAR has predominantly been
associated with individuals affiliated with the military. Following the
events of October 7, the Israeli army took it upon itself to inform
every family of a fallen soldier about this option and to facilitate the
family’s contact with the necessary parties to carry out the procedure.
Since then, Israeli hospitals <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-09/ty-article-magazine/.premium/we-operate-24-7-the-race-to-preserve-israeli-soldiers-sperm/0000018b-af34-dea2-a9bf-ffbee1470000">have extracted sperm</a> from the bodies of numerous fallen servicemen.</p>
<p>The ethical quagmires surrounding this form of reproduction are not
novel, but in Israel, this phenomenon assumes a unique and deeply
securitized dimension. It transcends domestic boundaries, reflecting the
deep securitization and militarization of the nation. Servicemen are
revered as the embodiment of national masculinity, and the act of
posthumous fatherhood is perceived as a homage to these fallen soldiers —
a means to ensure their legacy endures. A striking manifestation of
this transformation from the intimate to the national is exemplified in
cases where soldiers had no partners. In such cases, families often seek
female volunteers, many of whom have never crossed paths with the
deceased, to potentially carry their children. Shockingly, recruiting
these volunteers has proven to be less challenging than expected. In
fact, when families sought volunteers or advertised their quest through
media and social platforms, they were met with overwhelming responses.
The first recorded case dates back to 2002, Keivan Cohen, an Israeli
soldier killed in the Gaza Strip. Within just one hour of making an
announcement, his family received 200 responses.</p>
<p>This inclination among Israeli women and couples to choose sperm from
soldiers is not surprising. The militarization of reproduction and
masculinity has a long history in Israel. Nevertheless, what is
particularly striking is that these preferences intensify during periods
of extreme violence against Palestinians. In 2014, during the Israeli
war on Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Palestinians,
the vast majority of whom were civilians, Israeli sperm banks saw a
surge in demand for sperm from soldiers serving in combat units. Since
then, sperm banks have actively incorporated the military backgrounds of
donors into their profiles, with some banks even rejecting donors who
haven’t served in the army.</p><div id="gmail-mondo-ads-243363007">
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<img width="298" height="427" src="https://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sperm-soldiers.jpg" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 0px;">Ad
form Ram Bam hospital urging soldiers to donate sperm after the 2014
war on Gaza. The text reads: “Man! Contribute to the maternal effort.”
(Photo: Yedioth Ahronoth)</div>
<p>During my research on PAR in Israel, I followed several cases of
fallen soldiers whose families publicly sought volunteers. But one
particular case struck me the most — the case of Barel, an Israeli
soldier killed on the Gaza border in 2021, where he served as one of the
snipers responsible for the deaths and injuries of hundreds of civilian
protesters. Last year, his mother took to her Facebook account in
search of a volunteer willing to conceive her son’s potential child. Her
post read:</p>
<p>‘This is my son. He was tragically taken from us about six months ago
by a terrorist. I am seeking a woman who can wholeheartedly commit to
our family’s purpose, nurture my grandson, and become an integral,
loving part of our family. Over the past six months, Barel’s family and
friends united around a singular objective: to carry forward his
legacy.’</p>
<p>On the mother’s Facebook page, alongside her plea for a volunteer to
carry her son’s child, was a photo of her standing beside what appeared
to be a military vehicle covered with Barel’s image. I later discovered
that after Barel’s death, a “civilian militia” was founded with the sole
purpose of preserving his name. Named Sayeret Barel (Hebrew for “The
Barel Commandos”) and described by several <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-10-26/ty-article/.premium/ben-gvirs-party-members-trying-to-form-armed-militia-in-tel-aviv-suburb/00000184-14e4-db1c-a5a7-fefd926c0000">Israeli media outlets</a>
as an extreme right-wing group, the Sayeret Barel is, according to its
website, “a group of civilian soldiers who provide support to the army
and police.” Supported by the local government in Beersheba and the
police force, students from the southern city receive substantial grants
in exchange for enlisting in this military group. The establishment of
the militia is attributed to Almog Cohen, a Knesset member associated
with the Otzma Yehudit party, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, widely recognized
as one of the most extremist figures in Israel. Cohen openly advocates
for the expulsion of Palestinians and, during a public debate in Israel
regarding the role of this militia, he stated, “If Barel were alive, he
would not have waited for the police to act.”</p>
<p>“The connection between the two campaigns — one aiming to conceive a
child from Barel and the other seeking to establish a militia in his
name to perpetuate his legacy — is not coincidental. Several comments on
the photo shared by the mother emphasize that both a child and a
military militia serve his continuity. While reproductive preferences in
a deeply securitized society constantly produce and maintain forms of
hegemonic masculinity, the sought-after continuity is not solely that of
an individual as a family member, a son, or even a man, but primarily
as a soldier in a combat unit.</p>
<p>As scholars have argued, for women searching for sperm to mother,
information about the donor’s military background serves as an
indication of the potential personality of the future child. As
described by <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/bioethics-and-biopolitics-in-israel/life-after-death-the-israeli-approach-to-posthumous-reproduction/1D27B44F4BCFBAF95A46E10AC6999CD2">researchers in the field</a>,
the warrior-donor is both the supplier of the product and the core
product itself, with his semen seen as the materialistic carrier of his
spiritual essence. This spiritual essence is perceived to be his
militaristic role in providing safety for the nation and carrying out
its national missions. In the Israeli case, these preferences have been
deeply securitized, especially when it comes to posthumous reproduction.
As such, the belief that the state owes the families of deceased
soldiers access to this form of reproduction represents a peculiar
perspective unique to Israel.</p>
<p>This practice sheds light on the complex role of the medical
institution within a settler colonial order — a role underscored by
recent events such as a <a href="https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/israeli-doctors-urge-the-bombing-of-gaza-hospitals/">petition</a>
signed by numerous doctors urging the army to target hospitals in Gaza.
But more significantly, it illustrates a unique Israeli way of
militarizing reproduction, where medicine, masculinity, and militarism
intersect, ultimately fostering a settler colonial fantasy in which
violence against the indigenous population is not only sought after but
closely tied to the envisioned future of the settler nation.</p>
<p>Since the establishment of Israel on the ruins of Palestinian
society, not only has Palestinian fertility been viewed as a threat, but
Jewish reproductive capabilities have been seen as a source of security
and sustainability for the nation. Consequently, the ultimate colonial
future is envisioned through and around the capabilities of the muscular
Jewish man — in contrast to “the exiled weak Jew” and the fertile
Jewish women. This perspective is evident in Israeli regulations of
assisted reproduction technologies, as the country is considered one of
the biggest markets globally for such technologies. In Israel, the
distribution of fertility clinics that provide free services
demonstrates this selective pronatalism, as clinics exclusively exist in
areas predominantly inhabited by Jewish residents.</p>
<p>These militaristic preferences have shaped the very notions of
womanhood and manhood in Israel. As explained by Israeli researchers
such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277539597000551">Nitza Berkovitch</a>,
not only is motherhood a national mission in Israel, but the
formulation of womanhood in Israel is built on considering Jewish women
as mothers rather than as citizens or individuals.</p>
<p> In this context where women express their belonging to the nation
exclusively as (potential) mothers, Israeli manhood, as suggested by one
of Israel’s prominent sociologists, Baruch Kimmerling, is constructed
around the concept of the “pioneer” male fighter who deflowers the
“virgin” indigenous land. In these national gender performances, as
Kimmerling hints, it cannot be denied that these male fighters and the
maternal figures are immigrant settlers. The male warrior fights to
protect the colonial nation that will always remain in peril, and a
woman is assigned the mission to birth and rebirth the nation.</p>
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