Personal code of IDF soldier: 'May our camp be pure'

[henank]

by Danny Zamir, head of the Rabin Pre-Military Academy

A number of articles published recently in The New York Times quoted or were based on words spoken by myself and by graduates of the pre-army leadership development program which I head (the "Rabin Mechina") - graduates who participated as combat soldiers in Operation Cast Lead and who met recently to process personal experiences from the battlefield. Both explicitly and by insinuation, the articles claim a decline in the IDF's commitment to its moral code of conduct in combat, and moreover, that this decline stems from a specific increase in the prominence of religious soldiers and commanders in the IDF in general, and from the strengthening of the position of IDF Chief Rabbi Avichai Ronsky in particular.

It was as if the media were altogether so eager to find reason to criticize the IDF that they pounced on one discussion by nine soldiers who met after returning from the battlefield to share their experiences and subjective feelings with each other, using that one episode to draw conclusions that felt more like an indictment. Dogma replaced balance and led to a dangerous misunderstanding of the depth and complexity of Israeli reality. The individual accounts were never intended to serve as a basis for broad generalizations and summary conclusions by the media; they were published internally, intended for program graduates and their parents as a tool to be used in the process of educating and guiding the next generation.

...snip...

THE GUIDING principle that directs IDF combat soldiers, both in their planning and conduct in combat, encompasses a balance between two needs: to defend soldiers' lives and to minimize harm to the civilians behind whom terrorists try to hide. This is expressed in the tension between the necessity of opening fire when the soldiers' security and battle conditions require, even when there's a danger to civilians (providing advance warning to the extent possible), and the absolute obligation to hold fire and to act with due compassion toward civilians when it appears that they have no evil intent. In addition, basic respect toward civilians' belongings and their religious and spiritual property is part of this moral code.

These guidelines and the obligation to uphold them are an inseparable part of the Jewish-Zionist world of IDF soldiers, and deeply anchored in generations of Jewish heritage, particularly in the doctrine of military conduct renewed by the early socialist-Zionists a century ago. They called this principle by a name that's unlikely to have been given by any other nationalist movement fighting for its independence: "Purity of Arms" - that is, preventing harm to those not involved in or supporting the combat.

----------------------------------------------

Before you all jump down my throat and start a flame-war, take the time to read the entire article. It is written by the head of the academy whose soldiers - it has been claimed to much worldwide trumpeting - reported various incidents of wrongdoing during the Gaza war.

It now appears that these reports were mis-reported, exaggerated or outright lied about, in the public's eagerness to put the worst possible interpretation on any of Israel's actions.

[henank]

1. He continues...

Our war against an unrestrained terror organization that uses civilian populations as human shields in various ways, such as hospitals and masquerading as women and children, presents the IDF - an army obligated to an ethical code of combat based on humanism and international law - with almost impossible complexities. The nature of combat in complex conditions (such as in Gaza) brings with it difficulties and failures. The greatness of an army fighting under such conditions lies in its aspiring to "zero errors" and in its openness to examining its failures - finding them and fixing them.

IF IT'S possible to learn something from the real Israel - and not that which the media (including Israeli media) makes such efforts to portray - it would be from the uproar of emotions and the frank discussions that have taken place within Israeli society in the wake of the soldiers' accounts. It is out of their commitment to the moral code that the soldiers spoke and their accounts were submitted; purity of arms requires continuous examination of our actions and intentions.

[shira]

22. Do you ever wonder what DU'ers against Israel really, really think of Israelis?

I can't help but think that any DU'er against Israel who reads Zamir's article cannot help but wonder what the hell is wrong (and has always been wrong) with Israeli mentality. Either most liberal/progressive Israelis like Zamir are delusional or monumentally ignorant and stupid, and therefore do not truly realize (like our "educated" DU crowd here) how "cruel" or "brutal" the IDF really is, or they're just serial liars spouting off cynical propaganda. Note how a liefelong secular liberal humanist like Zamir speaks for most Israelis when he points to media bias. The DU regulars here normally pounce on such people and label them as dumb RW'ers.

DU'ers must have VERY, very low opinions of liberal/progressive Israelis who aren't as far to the left as Gideon Levy and Norm Finkelstein. But maybe that's the problem; anyone not as far to the left as Gideon Levy or Norm Finkelstein must therefore, by DU definitions, be staunch supporters of Netanyahu, Sharon, Kahane, and Baruch Goldstein.

[shira]

24. this quote by Zamir should be a discussion here at DU all by itself

"Our war against an unrestrained terror organization that uses civilian populations as human shields in various ways, such as hospitals and masquerading as women and children, presents the IDF - an army obligated to an ethical code of combat based on humanism and international law - with almost impossible complexities. The nature of combat in complex conditions (such as in Gaza) brings with it difficulties and failures. The greatness of an army fighting under such conditions lies in its aspiring to "zero errors" and in its openness to examining its failures - finding them and fixing them.

IF IT'S possible to learn something from the real Israel - and not that which the media (including Israeli media) makes such efforts to portray - it would be from the uproar of emotions and the frank discussions that have taken place within Israeli society in the wake of the soldiers' accounts. It is out of their commitment to the moral code that the soldiers spoke and their accounts were submitted; purity of arms requires continuous examination of our actions and intentions."

I can't get quotes to work. How do I do it?

[henank]

2. And he goes on to praise the religious soldiers

in a separate article

Zamir said that what disturbed him the most was an article in The New York Times under the headline "A religious war in Israel's army," which left the impression that a veritable kulturkampf between religious and secular soldiers was under way. Zamir also said he felt the article left the feeling that he was at loggerheads with Ronsky, someone he considers a close friend.

"I respect the religious Zionists a great deal, even though we have gaps in our world view, regarding the settlements and other things," he said. "We are friends. To use a metaphor from the army, we are all carrying the stretcher. To make it as if we are enemies is ugly; to put all the problems on the religious soldiers is simply wrong."

In fact, he said, "the most amazing thing that happens during battle and in the army is the cooperation between the Left and the Right, the religious and the secular. We have great relations, with a great deal of respect and faith in one another."

Zamir said the more graduates of the religious preparatory academies, and the more rabbis being taught by Ronsky, the better.

"There will be a higher moral level in the army," he said. "The religious Zionists are leading the camp in many areas - in the army, in the communities in the periphery, in education - and an impression is wrongly created that they are ayatollahs who are ruling the world. It's not right, and I'm saying this as someone who is a leftist and secular."

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rateyes]

4. No "moral code" will ever make the disproportionate response of Israel

in Gaza "moral." The spin around this event by those defending Israel's actions in Gaza makes one dizzy.

Operation Cast Lead was just that. The IDF cast lead all over Gaza, and they didn't care on whom it landed. Their actions were no better, nor any more "moral" than those of Hamas.

A pox on both their houses.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

5. Too little, too late in the face of too much damning evidence.

62,000 homeless families in Gaza. Enough said.

[rateyes]

6. Indeed.

:thumbsup:

[bunnies]

7. Ah yes. Its all the medias fault.

Now where have I heard that before... :puke:

[henank]

8. So you believed Zamir

when the story was related in the media in the first place, have I got that correct? He was entirely credible then, wasn't he?

And now that he says the media blew the whole thing out of proportion, not to mention the distortions and lies, suddenly he's totally not credible.

I have understood you correctly haven't I?

Talk about hypocrisy.

[bunnies]

15. Try again.

I dont find anyone associate with the IDF credible.

[azurnoir]

9. It now appears Mr Zamir wants to retain his position

the words of Alex Fishman preceded Mr Zamir's

The guiding principle of Israel's ground invasion is to move in with full force and try to minimize Israeli casualties, Israeli military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the daily Yediot Ahronoth. "We'll pay the international price later for the collateral damage and the anticipated civilian casualties," Fishman said."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=237283&mesg_id=237283

The death toll says more than words ever could

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tripmann]

12. Israel demonises itself just fine without any extra material.

[Sezu]

14. In your opinion of course. And your in the fine company of

many who will continue to use even discounted and false info to advance that demonization. Nice company you travel in.

[azurnoir]

20. so it's a conspiracy right?

every relief agency, news organization who has been in Gaza and the numerous Gazans who have been interviewed themselves are all lying, only poor little Israel is telling the truth

[juno jones]

11. T-shirts tell a lot about a society.

T-shirts worn by soldiers depicting pregnant women as targets- as documented on DU not long ago- makes a mockery out of any 'purity of intent'.

[Sezu]

13. T-shirts worn by VERY FEW of the soldiers in the IDF. The fact

that you cannot bring yourself to mention THAT fact shows more about your purity of intent than Israel's.

[Tripmann]

16. Ah yes,

the old 'few bad eggs' argument. We heard about the 'fratboy pranks' by such bad egg soldiers in Iraq also.

Strange that the people of Gaza can be collectively punished for the actions of hamas, but the IDF cannot be even held to scrutiny for the actions of some of its soldiers.

[Sezu]

17. If you have proof that the t-shirts are COMMON then

post it; otherwise, cease with the useless sarcasm. I await your evidence.

[Tripmann]

18. Prove they're not.

This is a discussion forum, not a courtroom. If opinions expressed here were subject to proof, there would be no forum. I can no more prove it than you can disprove it, but you already know that, don't you?

[Sezu]

19. Well it's usually taught even in elementary school that opinions

warrant facts to be valid. Since you can offer no facts but only mere opinion I guess you are admitting that your opinion is worthless except as an example of a poor baseless, useless one. In fact, if one looks at the original post, one sees that the original intent was to tar an entire society for the actions of a few. It's no different than saying Muslim society in general is violent and barbaric because of the actions of a particular subgroup. Few would agree with THAT here so I'm also puzzled at why it has not been taken to account yet by others and why YOU would deem it necessary to SUPPORT that accusation/post.

[Tripmann]

23. So validate YOUR differing opinion to mine with facts.....

What part of my original post do you dispute and validate your dispute using your own fact based benchmark.....

[bemildred]

21. I'd be happier if it was official policy.

Which it is quite clear it is not.

"Purity of arms" BTW is an obvious propaganda meme, war is about killing, purity doesn't have a thing to do with it. But military discipline and respect at the command level for protection of civilians do have something to do with it. That's what all the blather about "laws or war" is about.

The problem is, of course, that war is usually a variety of terrorism, and it's hard to terrorize civilians while at the same time protecting them. Of course sometimes war is really a police activity, what is called "restoring order", and sometimes it is really about repelling an attack from outsiders, but mostly it's about trying to instill fear, i.e. terrorism.