Lead author of Israeli Army's ethics code says troops violating it in Gaza

As Israel's relentless bombing of besieged Gaza drags on its 344th day, the integrity of the Israeli Army's ethical standards continues to face intense scrutiny.

In a sharp piece in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Asa Kasher, an 84-year-old originator who is the lead author of the Israeli Army’s Code of Ethics and a known supporter of Israel's policies in the region, asked a pointed question: Are Israeli soldiers disregarding the very code they were meant to uphold?

"Many thousands of non-involved Gazans have died, a fact which has to be considered by anyone whose principles include the sanctity of human life," Kasher warned.

While the moral implications of Israel's nearly year-long war and the actions of its troops in Gaza are deeply troubling, Kasher's concern revolves around the principle of preserving human life — a core tenet missing from the Israeli Army’s doctrine.

Violating principles of combat

"There are many aspects to the principle of preserving human life, including safeguarding the lives of citizens, residents, and soldiers, and taking care not to harm Gazans who are not involved…," he wrore in the essay.

Kasher argued that this requires military operations to minimise harm to civilians who are not engaged in hostilities. However, the fact remains that colossal civilian casualties in Gaza starkly challenge this ethical commitment.

A CNN investigation in May this year uncovered that Israeli troops routinely subjected Palestinian detainees to restraint and blindfolding, forcing them to sit or stand under floodlights. Additionally, wounded Palestinians were strapped to beds, made to wear diapers, and fed through straws.

"Every aspect of intentional harm to non-combatants is wrong: It violates the duty to preserve human dignity, it violates the principle of distinguishing between hostile forces and non-combatants according to the just war theory, and it violates the IDF (Israeli Army's) value of the purity of arms," Kasher opined.

Nine Israeli soldiers were arrested last month for the rape of a Palestinian detained in Sde Teiman, a facility in southern Israel's Negev desert. Since Israel's genocidal war on Gaza began in October, many Palestinians detained by Israeli forces have said they were sexually abused by troops at Sde Teiman.

Kasher highlighted that media has uncovered unsettling footage depicting actions by Israeli soldiers that "seem to breach" Israeli Army’s "core values."

Earlier this year, Israeli soldiers posted photos and videos of themselves toying with lingerie found in Palestinian homes, creating a visual record of their crimes. Others posted videos showing them playing or destroying toys of the displaced Palestinians kids.

Israeli soldiers have posted videos of themselves stealing from Palestinian homes in Gaza, where officials say that at least $25 million in cash, gold and valuables was looted in the first 3 months of the war.

In May, Israeli soldiers stationed in Rafah posted a video on social media of them cooking with stolen UN aid when millions of Palestinians were starving.

In a video, an Israeli soldier is seen bragging about stealing a silver necklace to take back to his girlfriend in Israel. Another soldier took a rug from a Gaza home.

These revelations, Kasher said, cast serious doubt on the adherence to principles of human dignity and the purity of arms within the Israeli military.

Kasher also underscored the necessity for genuine accountability, arguing that calls for the resignation of military leaders must go beyond symbolic gestures.

A catalogue of crimes

Instead, there must be a thorough and substantive process involving comprehensive investigations and reforms to address and correct ethical violations, rather than merely replacing top commanders.

There have been multiple reports of Israeli army systematically abusing Palestinian civilians, as using them human shields during its invasion of besieged Gaza.

According to a report published last month, this practice is conducted with the knowledge of senior military officials, including the Army Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi.

Since October last year, Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza from air, land and sea, killing more than 41,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, wounding more than 95,000 and displacing most of 2.4 million people in the tiny coastal enclave.

Analysts say the estimates are conservative and the actual death toll could be around 200,000.

For their complicity in the Gaza massacres, the International Criminal Court is likely to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and senior military officials, according to multiple media reports. Already, the International Court of Justice has found it is plausible that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocide Convention.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, says there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.