We have already heard this conclusion — that the IDF is “the most moral army in history” — from both Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, and from West Point Professor of Urban Warfare John Spencer. Now the High Level Military Group, which is made up of retired chiefs of staff, senior generals, and cabinet ministers from NATO countries, have issued their own report on how the IDF has been conducting its war in Gaza, and they too, have concluded that the IDF is “the most moral army in history.” The description of their study, and their conclusions, can be found here: “Israel’s army is not only moral. It is the most moral army in history.” Elder of Ziyon, August 9, 2024:
The High Level Military Group is “an independent body of former chiefs of staff, senior military officers and cabinet ministers from NATO countries with many decades of expertise at the highest level of land, air and sea conflict and the legality thereof,” that includes members from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, and the Netherlands.
The HLMG has filed an amicus curiae brief to the International Criminal Court, describing why the ICC charges against Israel of intentional starvation and unlawful killing in Gaza are false.
Not just false, but egregiously and absurdly false.
Within the report, the experts list no less than three ways that Israel conducts itself in war that are unmatched by any other military in history.
On the “starvation” charge, they describe in detail Israel’s efforts to bring aid into Gaza and then conclude:
It is our considered military opinion that the State of Israel and the IDF are and have been since the inception of this operation complying in good faith with all international legal obligations to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Based on our experience and knowledge, Israel is facilitating aid to a level we have not seen in our own militaries and we are not aware of our forces’ efforts or even capabilities to conduct similar operations. We do not believe any other armed forces have ever made such efforts, or achieved such success, in facilitating aid delivery to civilians in enemy territory while still engaged in active hostilities in that same operational environment. It is our professional view that accusations of an intent to starve civilians by the Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defence are unsupported by all available evidence, most importantly by the actual conduct of IDF operations in and around Gaza.
On the unlawful killing charge, they add another example where Israel does things to protect civilians above and beyond every military in recorded history:
One of the most pertinent examples of innovative civilian risk mitigation is the Civilian Harm Mitigation Cell (CHMC), established prior to the conflict and in operation during every phase. The CHMC integrates digital map technology, updated hourly, and intelligence to show population density in each area of Gaza. Every IDF operations centre has access to this map which is cross-checked with real-time air surveillance to verify civilian presence.
IDF targeting of air strikes is made in conjunction with the CHMC and influenced by civilian population density in a particular area. Selection of munition size is based on the nature of the military target, intelligence regarding enemy presence and the proximity of civilians.
It is our professional opinion that such a unit is extremely unusual and we are not aware of any other military with a comparable risk mitigation methodology. We assess this is an unprecedented measure, along with millions of leaflet drops, phone calls, text and voice messages, to help commanders prevent or minimise risk to civilian life. How such innovative efforts align with an allegation of the defendants in this matter directing the IDF to intentionally attack civilians is perplexing.
Finally, they note how Israel’s internal investigations of incidents during wartime also operate at a speed and efficiency never before seen by any other army, ever:
During our assessment we visited the IDF Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism which examines any incident that could raise a charge of possible illegal conduct or military procedural misconduct (except for incidents that immediately raise suspicion of criminal misconduct, which are sent directly for criminal investigation). There are currently approximately 300 incidents being actively investigated by the FFAM, with many more which they have received initial information about. To our knowledge no other armed forces have established such a permanent system but would benefit from doing so.
In respect to the speed of the FFAM’s processes, Australia’s Special Advisor, Air Chief Marshal Binskin, reporting on the World Central Kitchen strike, stated: ‘…the ADF [Australian Defence Force] could not have imposed equivalent reprimands as quickly as the IDF CGS [Chief of General Staff] was able to.’
By way of comparison, we draw your attention to war crimes investigations by comparable armed forces in Australia and the UK. The Brereton report was commissioned by the Inspector-General of the ADF to investigate war crimes by Australian forces committed between 2005 and 2016 . The investigation began in 2016 and reported in 2020. Charges were not brought until 2023.
The Haddon-Cave Independent Inquiry was commissioned by the UK Ministry of Defence to investigate alleged special forces war crimes in Afghanistan committed between 2010 and 2013. It was established in 2022 and is ongoing. These two inquiries give a clear parallel to Israeli investigations of war crimes and demonstrate the length of time required to give an equitable, legal outcome in such investigations….
It will be fascinating to see how the president of the Israel-bashing International Criminal Court deals with this report from the High Level Military Group that methodically contradicts every one of the charges leveled at Israel by the South Africans before the ICC. This report by the HLMG is being filed as an amicus brief, and coming from such a distinguished group, cannot be ignored. It will be fascinating to see how the ICC, consumed as it is with anti-Israel animus, tries to deny the HLMG’s conclusion, that the IDF “is the most moral army in the history of warfare.”
rick says
To balance this view of the IDF one should consider that Palestinian Hamas is the most immoral military force in the world. Gang rapes with murdering the victim afterward and burning babies- infantsd to death by placing them in ovens of the Jewish home Hamas invaded. Inhuman, cruel acts which other armies have carried out – I don’t know if anyone but Palestinians burned infants to death – this is the force the IDF faces. A military which hides within civilians, even fires rockets from civilian areas. And never wears any uniform, even the ones they get dressed up for their “photo shoot” or for marching in parades. A moral people fielding a moral army facing the scum of the earth. That is what Israel has to face whenever they fight Hamas.
St Croix says
The list of cruelties and barbaric acts committed by Hamas–as well as Gazan civilians along for the ride, the loot, and all the other “perks”–is being ignored on purpose. The clowns are even saying it was all staged or made up by Israel. How warped or stupid are they? When Hamas bodycams captured the action, and quickly put it online, even on the victims’ own phones and social media accounts.
Take Alex Jones, he is right about a lot of things it turns out, but otherwise, he’s as silly as anyone else. October 7, when the news was breaking, he was crying out “False Flag!” Because? Because the Jews are trying to run the world? Because Mossad is behind every crazy scheme that happens on the planet? I don’t know why any of them blame the Jews for just about everything. But when it comes to Israel, and when it comes to the Jews, a lot of otherwise sane or semi-sane people are just brainwashed.
We see this in the reports on JW, it’s a very common thread. Not just amongst the adherents to #2, because that religion+ is the poster child of anti-Semitism. Not just amongst the Neo-Nazis. Not just amongst the Leftie Wokesters and universities. But also within the conspiracy theorists, the unions, the culture questioners, the flat earthers, the Assange supporters, the Covid investigators, the Christians, the hippies, the independent media, and on and on. Thankfully, not all of them, and in this rough and incomplete list, there are some groups which are loaded with bigotry, and some in which irrational Israel/Jew animus seems to only in certain factions. But significant numbers overall across the board of types of groups.
It seems that whatever the source of Jew-Israel hatred is, it’s got all the bases covered, it’s working both sides of all the fences.
The hatred runs deep, and it blinds them to seeing truth…even the obvious and undeniable facts. That said, I hope the bald truth presented by the HLMG will sway a few away from their bias. Many will just say “the Joos paid them off to say this, after all, Joos run the world.” SIGH. They seem possessed by this idea! It’s madness, and they can’t see their lack of rationality.
You’re right, to pair the behaviour of the two forces and examine them, just as a two lists of facts, gives a startling opposite image. IDF carries babies out of the hospitals once they were given permission to go in and help get the patients out before the strike, while Hamas forces their way into civilian homes, grabs babies and kills them in unspeakable ways. Slits open the belly of a pregnant woman and kills the baby in front of her, then kills her. Yeah, not the same thing at all.
People rave about the evil nasty cruel IDF soldiers, as if they knew what they were talking about. Many IDF are young people just serving their required conscription, and they are 19 to 21 years old. Men and women. It’s not like they are a bloodthirsty rape gang, remorseless serial killers, cold-eyed psychopathic men, which is a description of the barbarians that came across the fence from Gaza on October 7 to spread terror, loot, and kill civilians, torture them, rape them and take them back as slaves and booty.
Hamas vs. IDF. And who are the evil barbaric monsters who want to rule the world? Why and how can so many people get it so wrong? Unless they want to believe these lies.
This is a very long response. I get so vexed by these idiots, almost every article on JW has me shaking my head in plain wonderment at the sheer stupidity of SO MANY. How did it get so bad, so fast? Exponential would be the word. Exponential stupidity, it’s a real steep curve right now!
Brian Osborn says
Great comment and spot on. Thanks for taking the time.
abu taleb says
It doesn’t matter for the Islamists, in fact, the so called western moral standard is a kind of weakness for the Islamists. Jihadists should just kill, rape, torture and enslave the enemies, the most important for the Islamists is glorifying their false god by conquering and humiliating the non muslims. Thus, raping the infidel women for example, is a good thing because it humiliates the enemies.
FYI says
The IDF/Israelis might be interested in Zechariah’s prophecies.
There is a promise about Jerusalem’s survival.{Zechariah 12 v3 and v 9}and a catastrophe waitng for the nations that attack Jerusalem{Zechariah 14 v 12].
Israel is not just any land!
“MY LAND” Jeremiah 2:7
it is not allah’s land:allah {hu baal} of the pagan kaaba cult of islam.. is it?
OLD GUY says
The IDF is fighting a vary evil Hamas who kill any and all in their path.
Walter Sieruk says
It’s rather interesting that” “The Israel campaign In Gaza, despite contrary propaganda, has avery low ratio of civilian to combatant deaths compared with other urban counter- guerrilla warfare.” [1]
[1] THE EPOCH TIMES, August 7-13, 2024 A15