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The Most Moral Army?
Avnery, Uri
http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/03/17/the-most-moral-army/Date Written: 2017-03-17 Publisher: CounterPunch Year Published: 2017 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX20562 War is the realm of killing and destroying. How is it possible to talk about a law of war when war itself breaks all laws? An army that trains its soldiers to kill, how can it demand from them to show mercy? Abstract: - Excerpt: Right at the beginning of this affair I proposed sentencing Azaria to a harsh prison term, for all to see. Then I would pardon him, but only on condition that he publicly admits his crime and asks for forgiveness. Until now, he has refused to do so, and suns himself in the glow of his status as a hero to some parts of the population. So do his parents, who visibly enjoy their public exposure. So how moral is the Israeli army? Even before the State of Israel was founded, the underground paramilitary organization (the Haganah) which formed its base prided itself on its morality. "The Purity of Hebrew Arms" was the slogan then, and still is. It was true then as it is now, but It created the belief in the "Most Moral Army in the World". There is no such thing as a really moral army. Unfortunately armies are necessary in this world, but their morality is always questionable. Subject Headings |