Israel debates the relationship between military ethics and victory
Israel is continuing a debate on the relationship between rules for the use of force, the protection of civilians, and the safety of military personnel during operations in Gaza. As The Jerusalem Post reports, the place of the concept of victory in the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) ethical code is also a subject of controversy.
According to Ynet, on August 9, the IDF raised the approval level for some strikes to that of the chief of the General Staff. In some cases, this effectively required political approval. Commanders were also ordered to cease return fire, except in cases of eliminating an immediate threat.
Reports of crossings of the Yellow Line
Channel 14 military correspondent Hillel Biton Rosen stated that, several days after the rules were changed, Hamas representatives were allegedly spotted crossing the ceasefire line in Gaza, known as the Yellow Line. According to his information, they stole engineering equipment, and the military requested permission to open fire, but senior command did not grant it.
An unnamed senior security official quoted by the outlet claimed that this incident was one of more than 65 crossings of the line. According to him, this was three times more than in the week before the rules for the use of force were changed.
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The principle of “purity of arms”
The IDF ethical code, “Ruach Tzahal,” contains the principle of “purity of arms” — tohar haneshek. Its origins are associated with Jewish defense organizations before the establishment of the State of Israel, including the Haganah and Palmach. The principle provides for the use of force only to accomplish the mission and only to the necessary extent, as well as avoiding harm to civilians, prisoners, and defenseless people as far as possible.
In 1994, then-IDF Chief of the General Staff Ehud Barak enlisted philosopher Asa Kasher to develop a modern written code of military ethics. The code combined the duty to accomplish the mission and the pursuit of victory with respect for human dignity, the value of life, and the requirement to avoid unjustified harm to civilians.
Philosopher Avi Sagi, who was a member of the committee that revised the code in 2000, stated that victory is not a moral value and cannot in itself justify the use of force. Former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin, as well as Gabi Siboni and Erez Winner of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, criticized this approach, believing that it relegates victory to the background.
