Keeping politics out of the IDF

The IDF is a nation-state army that serves shoulder-to-shoulder with all sectors of Israeli society and members of all ethnic groups and religions- a whole mosaic of Israeli society. Serving in the IDF is a service based on patriotism and loyalty to the state.

The IDF serves side-by-side, not only Jews but also members of communities who have tied their fate to the State of Israel and the Jewish people in its land. The Druze, beginning in 1956 and the Circassians from 1958, serve in compulsory service at the request of the leaders of the communities, together with the Muslim and Christian Bedouin who volunteer for IDF service.

All of them together make a significant contribution to the defense of the State of Israel, whether it’s on the battlefield or on the homefront. Everyone serves shoulder-to-shoulder, and all of us have one common denominator: to defend the State of Israel for its citizens and residents, even at the cost of sacrificing our lives.

The choice to be willing to give our lives for our friends and for the sake of the state stems from a deep sense of partnership. We were all born here and are rooted in this land. We chose to live together in friendship and deep mutual respect- this is a covenant of life that sometimes led to a covenant of blood.

Every soldier in their regular army service or reserve duty has the right to formulate positions on current ethical and moral issues. These positions shouldn’t affect their IDF service and the values it represents. As an army in a Jewish and democratic state, we must remember that the IDF operates according to the political echelon. Any political statement or call to go out against the political echelon deviates from the State and IDF orders.

The fact that the IDF is a state-army strengthens the following: the IDF’s moral backbone, the friendship between its soldiers, and the public’s trust. The public understands and sees that the IDF doesn’t involve itself in societal disputes.

The IDF doesn’t agree with certain societal disputes because of the variety of soldiers that serve. Because the soldiers have differences in economic and social status, religion, ethnicity, and gender, the IDF takes no stance in anything specific.

This statehood allows the IDF to carry out its tasks in a manner worthy of the State of Israel and its protection.

Brig. Gen. Zvika Faireisen,

Chief Education Officer