Founder of the “Army Ethics Charter”: Israel is Run by a Criminal Gang as Soldiers’ Attacks on Palestinians Intensify

Watan-A Hebrew newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing military sources, concerns about a 30% increase in attacks by Israeli occupation soldiers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of this year compared to the previous year. These attacks include beatings, abuse, arson of homes and vehicles, and prolonged checkpoint delays that leave pedestrians stranded for hours without movement or justification.

According to a report published by Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, there has been a sharp increase in what it calls ‘nationalist crime incidents’ this year. The newspaper quoted Israeli military officers warning of further escalations against Palestinians without oversight or accountability. It also noted that when Palestinians file complaints against attacking soldiers or settlers, they face numerous obstacles—unless there is video documentation, as authorities fear international trials.

At the same time, the newspaper cited other military leaders who deny the phenomenon, claiming that the army investigates every incident despite exhaustion and a declining morale within the ranks.

Demonization and Delegitimization

Attacks by soldiers and settlers against Palestinians have intensified dangerously since October 7, fueled by an unchecked thirst for revenge and a tense wave of nationalist extremism prevailing in Israel.

These assaults, documented extensively by Palestinian, international, and Israeli human rights organizations, have been encouraged by ongoing incitement from Israeli officials. Some have made extreme statements, such as Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza, and former National Security Advisor Giora Eiland, who advocated denying water, food, and not just electricity to all civilians in Gaza—including women and children—in order to win the war.

The dehumanization and demonization rhetoric is extensive, and was even included in the indictment against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague over a year ago.

A Criminal Gang

Professor Asa Kasher (84 years old), regarded as the “philosopher” and “chief ideologue” of the Israeli army’s ethical and behavioral framework, described in an extensive interview published by Haaretz (on February 20, 2025), the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza as horrific and terrifying. However, he stopped short of calling them war crimes or genocide.

In this unprecedentedly harsh interview, Kasher stated that the war on Gaza reflects a deeper transformation within Israeli society. He argued that Israel now operates like a criminal gang in control of a residential neighborhood—where the gang leaders are none other than the current Israeli leadership.

Kasher, who previously served as a professor of philosophy at Tel Aviv University and received several prestigious Israeli awards, including the “Israel Prize” for his work in philosophy, questioned:”Perhaps the idea of an independent state is too big for us—the Jewish people?”

Despite denying genocide, he criticized actions such as soldiers entering Palestinian homes and destroying them, calling them unjustifiable.

He also attempted to distance the Israeli army from these crimes, claiming:”The Israeli army cannot allow its values and standards to be dictated by reserve units, which consist of hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have not served in the military for years and are now acting according to the general public mood.”

After calling Israel’s leaders a ‘criminal gang,’ he extended this critique to all state institutions, including the Israeli Supreme Court. He further noted:”It is inconceivable that no official investigation has been launched into the events of October 7, 2023. This is simply moral bankruptcy.”

Nonetheless, he still expressed hope that Israel’s democratic forces could contain the judicial overhaul.

The Ethical Charter: Empty Words

Referencing the works of Jonathan Swift, Kasher described an allegory in which a giant (Gulliver) built the foundations of the state, the army, healthcare, industry, and universities. But after completing his task, he fell asleep—allowing dwarfs to emerge from their burrows and slowly take over everything.

He warned that during the judicial crisis, the giant momentarily awoke, but may soon return to sleep. Kasher urged those who see the truth to ensure that the giant does not fall asleep again.

Kasher also expressed concern that Israel’s security institutions—except for the police—would not cooperate with the criminal gang ruling the country. He said:”Apart from the police, the Mossad, Shin Bet, and even the army—despite being the weakest of them all—will not collaborate with the gang.”

He further criticized the “ethical charter” of the Israeli army, calling it nothing more than empty rhetoric, as the military lacks a real vision for instilling these values among its reserve soldiers and officers.

“Our Prime Minister is a Liar and a Fraud”

Kasher did not hold back in his critique of Israel’s leadership:”Sometimes I ask myself: Maybe the whole thing is too big for us? Maybe the idea of a sovereign state is beyond the Jewish people? For years, we lived with a minority mindset, doing whatever it took to survive. But maybe we have remained deceitful and untrustworthy. And now, we have formed a government with such people. Our prime minister is a liar who cannot be trusted with a single word he says or promise he makes. We have reached a terrible place. Maybe the idea of a state is truly too big for us.”

The Palestinian Center for Israeli Studies (Madar), which translated the lengthy interview, noted that Kasher himself was responsible for drafting the “ethical charter” for Israeli university lecturers at the request of former Education Minister Naftali Bennett.

Madar emphasized that Kasher’s ethical charter was part of Israeli right-wing efforts to reshape public discourse, control academia, and suppress leftist and anti-occupation voices in universities.

Moreover, Kasher is the same figure who drafted the Israeli army’s ‘ethical guidelines’—which justified targeting Palestinian civilians. These guidelines rationalized attacking civilians as a means of protecting Israeli soldiers, thereby providing the army with a so-called “ethical” justification for killing civilians in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Deep and Widespread Brutality

Madar also highlighted that many Israeli voices, like Kasher, attribute the army’s shocking level of brutality in Gaza and Lebanon solely to religious fundamentalism.

However, the roots of this militarized extremism trace back decades. The shift became apparent during the 2005 disengagement from Gaza, when influential rabbis encouraged soldiers to prioritize religious edicts over government orders.

This peaked in 2019, when then-Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman advocated for gradually imposing Jewish religious law on Israeli society.

Even earlier, during the Second Intifada in 2000, prominent settler rabbi Elyakim Levanon declared it was time for religious leaders to assume governmental control—reminiscent of the era of King David.

Willful Blindness?

Madar argues that attributing Israel’s ongoing war crimes solely to religious extremism ignores the broader context.

Israeli researcher Yagil Levy describes how secular, “white” elites in Israel are now distancing themselves from responsibility for the war’s consequences, despite having laid its foundations.

As an expert in military thought, Levy insists:”This war is not simply the result of religious fundamentalism infiltrating Israeli society. Netanyahu’s political ambitions play a role, but they are not the primary driver. The war is deeply rooted in Israel’s secular political culture—even though it has grown more extreme since October 7, 2023.”

He further points out that Israeli Air Force and intelligence officers—responsible for the unprecedented killing of civilians in Gaza—are mostly from the secular, centrist-left elite, not Netanyahu’s religious base.

The White Tribe and War Hawks

Levy’s analysis extends to Israel’s political opposition, where centrists like Benny Gantz and Yair Golan have pushed for an even more aggressive war strategy.

In a recent Haaretz article, Golan—a former general—called for a larger military, an expanded defense budget, and a more offensive strategy.

However, Kasher warns that the real danger lies within the Israeli army itself.