Ben-Gvir proposes rewriting the Israeli army's code of ethics

Israel, Knesset election

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wants the defence portfolio after the Oct 27 Knesset election, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it should stay with his Likud party.

His plan would replace the Israel Defense Forces' principle of "purity of arms" with "righteousness of arms", and stress Jewish law and tradition.

What the plan would remove

• Force only to the extent necessary
• The bar on harming noncombatants
• The bar on harming prisoners
• Universal moral values

The new text would drop the rule to use force only to the extent necessary, the bar on harming noncombatants and prisoners, and the reference to universal moral values.

"IDF soldiers need to go into battle knowing that they are fighting a just war."

— Itamar Ben-Gvir

Background

The "purity of arms" principle dates to the late 1930s and was written into the army's code, The Spirit of the IDF, in the 1990s.