"Righteousness of the Weapon": Ben Gvir's Plan to Change IDF Values in the Next Government

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has prepared a plan to replace the IDF value of "Purity of Arms" with "Righteousness of the Weapon," which includes removing the prohibition on harming prisoners and non-combatants. Ben Gvir will demand approval of the changes in the next government, as part of his aspiration to be appointed Defense Minister.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has prepared a plan to replace the IDF value of "Purity of Arms," as reported on the program "This Morning" on Kan News. The Otzma Yehudit party prepared a document of changes, according to which the value will be replaced with "Righteousness of the Weapon" alongside the removal of the prohibition on harming prisoners and non-combatants. The existing wording in the IDF Code of Ethics states that a soldier will use his weapon only to carry out the mission, will not harm prisoners, and will do everything possible to prevent harm to the lives, bodies, dignity, and property of non-combatants. According to Ben Gvir's proposal, this clause will be replaced with a provision that the soldier will use his weapon to defeat the enemy, and the moral principle guiding him will be "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first." Additionally, Ben Gvir proposes defining the IDF as a "Jewish army" whose goal is "the victory and defeat of the enemies of the State of Israel and the people of Israel," and removing the determination that the spirit of the IDF draws from "universal moral values based on human dignity." Last month, Ben Gvir held a press conference where he announced he would demand the position of Defense Minister in the next term, saying: "The time has come for someone who did not grow up in the defense establishment and is not captive to the concept to hold the position." At the press conference, he presented the main points of his security plan, including encouraging voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza and Judea and Samaria. The article quotes Ben Gvir in response to a Kan News question about a possible diplomatic crisis if he is appointed Defense Minister: "I will not forget Yoav Gallant, who once told me - they could still issue an arrest warrant against you. In the end, he was the first to have an arrest warrant issued against him."