Purity of Arms
Encyclopedia
The code of purity of arms is one of the values stated in the Israel Defense Force's official doctrine of ethics, The Spirit of the IDF.
Despite doubts when confronted by indiscriminate terrorism, purity of arms remains the guiding rule for the Israeli forces.
According to Norman Solomon, the concepts of Havlaga and purity of arms arise out of the ethical and moral values stemming from the tradition of Israel, extrapolation from the Jewish Halakha
, and the desire for moral approval and hence political support from the world community.
These foundations have elicited a fair degree of consensus among Jews, both religious and secular, and are incorporated in the official Doctrine Statement of the Israel Defense Forces.
(1917–94), who
had served in the IDF as both paratrooper and chief chaplain.
incident, a group of Jewish fighters reputedly chose not to kill an elderly Arab shepherd who subsequently informed his fellow villagers, which led to the killing of the Jewish fighters. This illustrates the dilemmas that can arise in combat and other confrontation situations, in which several of the values within the Spirit of the IDF code are concomitantly evoked, such as:
Human Life : "The IDF servicemen and women will act in a judicious and safe manner in all they do, out of recognition of the supreme value of human life. During combat they will endanger themselves and their comrades only to the extent required to carry out their mission."
Comradeship : "The IDF servicemen and women will act out of fraternity and devotion to their comrades, and will always go to their assistance when they need their help or depend on them, despite any danger or difficulty, even to the point of risking their lives."
Dealing with such dilemmas requires a coherent response on the part of officer and soldier alike.
Selective targeting (or targeted killing
) of terrorist leaders is considered by the IDF as a legitimate mode of operation and part of a state's counterterrorism, anticipatory, self-defense activities that are designed to prevent the continuation of terrorism. Selective targeting of terrorist activists is portrayed as a measure designed to hurt the real enemy while minimizing civilian casualties. However, criticism of the practice has centred on its consistency with international humanitarian law, and the tendency for innocent civilian bystanders to be killed in the process. The practice was challenged before the Israeli Supreme Court which held that while terrorists were civilians under the law of armed conflict, they were somewhat protected by the prohibition in Article 51(3) of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions which provides that civilians enjoy immunity from deliberate attack "unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities." However, the Court (which importantly found it had jurisdiction to consider targeted killings) expanded the definition of both 'for such time' and 'direct part in hostilities' to cover those providing services to unlawful combatants in any period before a potential attack. The decision received a mixed reception from the international community, with one scholar expressing concern that it threatened 'to undermine international
law's protection of civilians in armed conflict by shifting the balance toward military advantage and increasing the likelihood of collateral damage.'
Despite doubts when confronted by indiscriminate terrorism, purity of arms remains the guiding rule for the Israeli forces.
According to Norman Solomon, the concepts of Havlaga and purity of arms arise out of the ethical and moral values stemming from the tradition of Israel, extrapolation from the Jewish Halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
, and the desire for moral approval and hence political support from the world community.
These foundations have elicited a fair degree of consensus among Jews, both religious and secular, and are incorporated in the official Doctrine Statement of the Israel Defense Forces.
Text of "Purity of Arms"
Origins
The IDF Doctrine Statement is not a religious document, but the underlying religious basis was articulated by Chief Rabbi Shlomo GorenShlomo Goren
Shlomo Goren , was an Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and subsequently as the third Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983.He served in the Israel Defense Forces during three wars,...
(1917–94), who
had served in the IDF as both paratrooper and chief chaplain.
Tactical and ethical dilemmas
In the Convoy of 35Convoy of 35
The Convoy of 35 refers to 35 soldiers of the Haganah who were killed while attempting to resupply and or reinforce the Gush Etzion kibbutzim by foot on January 16, 1948, after a number of convoys had been attacked during the early stages of the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine.- Attack...
incident, a group of Jewish fighters reputedly chose not to kill an elderly Arab shepherd who subsequently informed his fellow villagers, which led to the killing of the Jewish fighters. This illustrates the dilemmas that can arise in combat and other confrontation situations, in which several of the values within the Spirit of the IDF code are concomitantly evoked, such as:
Human Life : "The IDF servicemen and women will act in a judicious and safe manner in all they do, out of recognition of the supreme value of human life. During combat they will endanger themselves and their comrades only to the extent required to carry out their mission."
Comradeship : "The IDF servicemen and women will act out of fraternity and devotion to their comrades, and will always go to their assistance when they need their help or depend on them, despite any danger or difficulty, even to the point of risking their lives."
Dealing with such dilemmas requires a coherent response on the part of officer and soldier alike.
Jewish and universal moral sources of the doctrine
The "Spirit of the IDF," a text within the IDF's main doctrine, requires "honoring the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish...state," while two of its four sources are "the tradition of the Jewish People throughout their history" and "universal moral values based on the value and dignity of human life." It can be understood from this that Jewish religious law does not determine IDF policy per se.Selective targeting (or targeted killing
Targeted killing
Targeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
) of terrorist leaders is considered by the IDF as a legitimate mode of operation and part of a state's counterterrorism, anticipatory, self-defense activities that are designed to prevent the continuation of terrorism. Selective targeting of terrorist activists is portrayed as a measure designed to hurt the real enemy while minimizing civilian casualties. However, criticism of the practice has centred on its consistency with international humanitarian law, and the tendency for innocent civilian bystanders to be killed in the process. The practice was challenged before the Israeli Supreme Court which held that while terrorists were civilians under the law of armed conflict, they were somewhat protected by the prohibition in Article 51(3) of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions which provides that civilians enjoy immunity from deliberate attack "unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities." However, the Court (which importantly found it had jurisdiction to consider targeted killings) expanded the definition of both 'for such time' and 'direct part in hostilities' to cover those providing services to unlawful combatants in any period before a potential attack. The decision received a mixed reception from the international community, with one scholar expressing concern that it threatened 'to undermine international
law's protection of civilians in armed conflict by shifting the balance toward military advantage and increasing the likelihood of collateral damage.'
Rabbinic opinion
Some rabbis oppose the stipulation of avoiding harm to non-combatants, arguing that Jewish law specifically rejects this requirement during wartime. Some instances:- Rabbis associated with the Israeli settlement movement in the West Bank and Gaza demanded in 2004 that terrorism must be fought without regard for the safety of the enemy civilian population.
- In the 2006 Lebanon War, the main organization of Modern Orthodox rabbis in the United States called on the Israeli military to be less concerned with avoiding civilian casualties on the opposing side. They argue that because the Hezbollah hides among the civilian population, it would be immoral not to attack Hezbollah—as Hezbollah poses an extreme threat to the Israeli civilian population. Thus, it would be unreasonable to not attack Hezbollah, which will result in allowing Hezbollah to kill Israelis, all based on the premise of avoiding Lebanese casualties.
External links
- Goodbye, “Purity Of Arms” – Goodbye, Morality, by David J. Forman, founder of Rabbis for Human Rights.
- Convoy of 35 and purity of arms