Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The "most humane" army

Soldiers often extol their moral purpose, their selflessness and their ethics while vilifying their enemies as deviant and immoral. In this sense, Israeli soldiers are no more chauvinistic than those who serve under other flags. Any respectable army includes training on military ethics, including the Laws of Warfare. This training would include standards for the treatment of prisoners, the protection of civilians and the conduct of soldiers in hostile areas.

Yet, Israeli civilian and military leaders often claim that the Israeli army is not just ethically informed but exceptionally moral and humane. As the accumulation of reports of IDF misbehavior and war crimes during the Gaza war once again demonstrate, refering to the IDF as "the most humane army in the world" is an oxymoron.

Ashkenazi: IDF is a ‘moral’ army | JTA - Jewish & Israel News: "'I don't believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation,' Ashkenazi said, adding that the IDF 'is the most humane army in the world.'"

No comments: