Otzma Yehudit chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has unveiled a plan for significant changes to the IDF's ethical code, known as the "Spirit of the IDF," which he intends to advance as part of his platform for the position of Defense Minister.
The proposed changes include redefining the military's purpose, strengthening the Jewish foundations of its ethical code, and replacing the principle of "Purity of Arms" with "Righteousness of Arms."
Under the plan, the IDF's primary mission would be defined as "achieving victory over and defeating the enemies of the State of Israel and the Jewish people," alongside protecting the security of the state, its citizens, and its residents. The emphasis on victory and defeating the enemy is also incorporated into other sections of the proposed text.
Another major change concerns the moral foundations upon which the code is based. The proposal calls for greater emphasis on Jewish moral values rooted in the Bible, Jewish ethics, Jewish law, and the traditions of the Jewish people throughout the generations.
At the same time, Israel is defined as the Jewish national homeland, and the IDF as "the people's army, a Jewish, national military."
One of Ben Gvir's most significant proposed changes is the removal of the principle of "Purity of Arms" and its replacement with "Righteousness of Arms." Under the new principle, the moral rule guiding soldiers in carrying out their missions would explicitly be: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first."
The proposed wording also removes the instruction that soldiers use force "only to the extent necessary," as well as the explicit prohibition against harming "noncombatants" and prisoners.
In addition, the reference to "universal moral values" does not appear in Ben Gvir's proposed version.
The plan also introduces a new definition of the values of love for the Jewish people and the Land, and loyalty to the State:
"At the foundation of service in the IDF stand love for the Jewish people, the homeland, and commitment and devotion to the State of Israel, a Jewish state that constitutes a democratic national home for the Jewish people, its citizens, and its residents."
The principle of "Human Dignity" remains in the proposed text: "The IDF and its soldiers are committed to preserving human dignity. Every person has inherent worth, regardless of origin, religion, nationality, gender, status, or position."
The principle of the IDF's national character would define the military as "the people's army, a Jewish, national military, subject to the authority of the law and the government."
The proposed wording further states that IDF soldiers must act with "only the mission, the IDF's values, and the security of the state foremost in their minds," and must do so "with integrity, objectivity, and professionalism."