Of 500 Israelis between the ages of 15 and 18 surveyed, 43 percent said soldiers, both conscripts and reservists, should be permitted to say no to duty in the territories, while 57 percent said they should not be allowed to refuse.

Only one in four Israeli adults said the right to say no should be granted, according to the Israeli Institute for Democracy.

When asked if soldiers should be allowed to refuse to evacuate Jewish settlements by force, 43 percent of youths and 29 percent of adults said yes.

The refusenik movement grabbed the spotlight in January 2002 when 52 reserve officers and soldiers signed a letter saying they would not serve in the occupied Palestinian territories on grounds of conscience.

Since then, their number has grown to over 600 and includes officers, elite unit commandos and pilots.

The refusal by some Israelis to complete their military service has sparked sharp criticism from politicians and the army's senior command who have sanctioned the so-called "refuseniks", some of them with prison time.

Military service is compulsory in Israel, with men serving three years and women 21 months. Men under 49 are also required to do up to a month of annual reserve duty. Orthodox Jews are exempted from service for religious reasons.

Israeli women can fulfill their requirements by working in the Jewish state's non-military national service.

WAR.WIRE